Healthovation Volume 4, 2nd Issue focuses on a timely and critical theme: Mental Health and Well-being. Mental health is a vital component of an individual’s overall well-being and a significant driver of workplace productivity. The socio-economic cost of mental health issues is rising at an alarming rate, with nearly 42% of employees globally reporting a decline in mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated stress and burnout. The repercussions of mental health issues are often felt at individual, family, workplace, societal, and national levels, creating a vicious cycle. Healthcare practitioners, wellness experts, and workplace managers play a crucial role in preventing, mitigating, and addressing the current and potential implications of these issues. Therefore, we dedicate this issue to exploring mental health issues from various perspectives, including scientific and alternative therapeutic approaches.
The current issue is structured into three main sections:
- Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights for a Healthier Future
- Pathways to Future Well-being: Meditation, Yoga, and Health Empowerment
- Holistic Pathways to Well-Being: Bridging Ayurveda and Modern Science
The articles in this issue delve into several relevant themes in mental health and well-being practices. We explore the significance of World Mental Health Day and its implications for well-being, followed by an article on the role of mental health first aid in workplaces. These perspectives are further supported by articles on the cost of mental health problems for workplaces and mitigation strategies, insights into student mental health and well-being in the digital learning era, the importance of mental health and well-being for children, new approaches to healing PTSD and trauma, a holistic mental health approach for educators, addressing workplace burnout and chronic stress, and managing emotional intelligence to achieve workplace well-being.
Focusing on alternative approaches and the nexus between modern science and Ayurveda practices in managing mental health and well-being, several articles explore diverse perspectives. These include harnessing wellness and mindfulness for mental health, the role of transcendental meditation in overall well-being, the benefits of yoga therapy for senior citizens, achieving inner health through yoga, nourishing minds through nutrition, integrating Ayurveda, yoga, and sports for optimal health, and comparing Ayurvedic dietary principles with modern nutritional concepts.
I fervently believe that you will find the articles in this issue both interesting and insightful.
Associate Professor (Dr) Chandana Hewege, PhD, PFHEA
Chairman of the HCI Governing Board | A/Prof, Department of Management & Marketing, School of Business, Law & Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University, Australia. | Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK | Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors | Certified Carbon Literacy Trainer, The Carbon Literacy Project, UK.