Now in its 21st year, World Mental Health Day is celebrated on 10 October and is a great opportunity for everyone to take a moment to think about their own mental health, but also a chance for us to consider the health of the people around us.

This year’s theme, “mental health is a universal human right”, emphasises the crucial value of good mental health and the need to ensure everyone can access vital support.

Supporting you

It is so easy to become caught up in the stresses and strains of daily life, that it can feel almost impossible to take a few moments for yourself. Research from caba – the wellbeing charity for the ICAEW community - confirms that you are not alone.

While eight out of 10 respondents said stress and poor mental health are a problem within the accountancy profession, 86% said they hadn’t used an employer-provided counselling phone line, 63% hadn’t used apps or subscriptions for mental health tools and 46% hadn’t taken any mental health days.

ICAEW and caba have a range of resources to support you in prioritising your mental health. A good place to start is icaew.com/mentalhealth which brings together the latest articles ICAEW has published on mental health and wellbeing.

These include a series from this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which offer practical strategies on coping with anxiety, as well as insights into the prevalence and affect of technology addiction among professionals.

The hub also points to support from ICAEW’s Business Advice Service which has published advice specifically for business owners on how to take care of their mental health.

And don’t forget ICAEW’s Support Members Scheme through which you have access to other members who can provide a listening ear and free non-judgmental assistance when you need it.

Meanwhile, caba has a suite of support on mental health. Alongside articles, training and events on managing your mental health, caba provides dedicated resources on key issues, such as:

• coping with stress;
• anxiety and depression;
• managing burnout;
• improving sleep quality; and
• dealing with grief, loss and trauma.

As an ACA student, ICAEW member (past or present) or a close family dependent, you can access caba’s services, which includes being able to talk to a registered counsellor online or over the phone, in total confidence.

Supporting your team

For those who manage teams or want to support their colleagues’ mental health, we also have a host of free information and practical support.

If you’re wondering how to start talking about mental health – something that isn’t always easy – we’ve got a free on-demand webinar which discusses what ‘good’ mental health looks like and describes the signs and symptoms to look for to identify poor mental health.

We’ve also published articles on:

• preventing employee burnout,
• creating workplaces that support staff wellbeing, and
• how to manage the mental health of those working remotely.

You can access all these resources and more online through our employee wellbeing hub.

To coincide with World Mental Health Day, Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) has created a toolkit specifically to help managers in the accountancy profession to support the wellbeing of their teams.

The downloadable toolkit provides managers with crucial insights, strategies and best practices to cultivate a thriving team. It offers practical steps to provide a supportive working environment and points to more useful resources.

In his foreword to the document, Michael Izza, ICAEW Chief Executive and Chairman of CAW, says: “In the high-paced realm of finance and accounting, stress and burnout are alarmingly prevalent. As leaders, we bear the responsibility of cultivating a work environment that prioritises the mental, emotional, and physical health of our teams.

“This resource equips our leadership with insights and strategies to promote resilience and purpose within our teams, fostering a workplace where our people thrive. Let us lead with empathy, armed with knowledge, to build a workplace that not only fuels business success but enhances the lives of those within it.”