Workplace Wellness

By Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire, Naturopath

In very recent years, employers have had to consider Workplace Wellness programs. With stress soaring due to the demands of mounting workloads and an attempt to juggle trouble at home, employers have noted that it is negatively affecting their bottom line. The fallout of stress alone in the workplace is like a ping-pong ball searching for a hole to land. Experts are noting that companies most successful in combating stressed-out employees, confront the causes head-on.

One issue of stress at work is when “Life” is front and center. Some places of employment actually frown on the notion of bringing problems from home to the office. This charade is a dangerous game to play with one’s psyche and ultimately ends in a breakdown of mental and physical health.

How do I know?...

Before I was the Good Doctor I worked as Director of Publicity at Arista Records where I handled The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Toni Braxton, Usher, Sean “Puffy” Combs, and The Notorious B.I.G. to name a few.

I had a husband who was terminally ill from cancer so we said. His true diagnosis was AIDS Bouncing into work every day with a smile after crying all night, ready to wrangle 250 calls, attend meetings, and put out fires took a toll on me mentally and physically. Only two people in my immediate department knew I had a terminally ill husband because I didn’t want people to have pity on my situation at home, nor did I want them to think for even a minute that I could not do my job. The level of deception I played with myself and the people in my workplace who cared for me came to a screeching halt when I was summoned into a meeting with executives who reprimanded me for having a situation so dire at home yet remaining silent.

It is a trend in the workplace for people to remain quiet about their struggles, when (in actuality) those struggles help to mold character.

The perception of needing to not put your business on ‘Front Street’ at work comes with the mantra prevalent in many households, “What happens in this house, stays in this house!

If the workplace would foster a community within their culture of being nurtured by not only professional successes but also personal pain, employers would discover that their staff will grow into a loving community that can become a refuge in times of trouble.

Dr LaJoyce Brookshire is a Classical Naturopathic Doctor and is widely known as “The Good Doctor” with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She conducts Wellness Workshops around the world and is a New York Times Bestselling Author with seven concurrent bestsellers including Ask The Good Doctor: The Detox Edition Remixed for a Healthy New You.