For World Mental Health Day 2024, mental health in the workplace is the focus. With 875,000 workers suffering from work related stress, depression and anxiety in 2022/23 and 15% of UK workers estimated to have existing mental health conditions (Mental Health Foundation Statistics), awareness and action for mental health is necessary. Addressing mental health in the workplace is for the benefit of everyone – for both the individual and the workplace (mental health is the 5th most common reason for sickness absence) and thus is a priority to tackle from a personal and organisational level. Work can be good for your mental health in giving a sense of purpose but balance between work and life is key. This mental health day we have collated a selection of self-help and work-life balance books to help in taking a step for better mental health. You could also come and take a break at the Sainsbury Library at our colouring and puzzle station or try your hand at some origami! Find more in our recommendations of 7 Fun Things to do in the Library.

Featured books

• Workplace wellness that works: 10 steps to infuse well-being and vitality into any organization by Laura Putnam
• Beating Burnout, Finding Balance: Mindful Lessons for a Meaningful Life by Melo Calarco
• Beating burnout at work: why teams hold the secret to well-being and resilience by Paula Davis
• Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace: a practical guide for employers and employees by Gill Hasson and Donna Butler
• Mindfulness for the wandering mind: life-changing tools for managing stress and improving mental health at work and in life by Pandit Dasa
• HBR guide to better mental health at work HBR guide to work-life balance

The Sainsbury Library has decided to shine a spotlight on well-being, mental health, and self-help. University is often stressful but the final term even more so! We have put together different resources and displays to support wellbeing and mental health.

Wellbeing and Study Padlet

Have you got any study tips? Do you have particular activities that help your wellbeing?

We have created a padlet to share top tips for wellbeing and studying. Please contribute by sharing your tips and read what other people have posted. Even if you do not have anything to share, we hope you still learn something useful.

Origami and colouring pages

We have our usual jigsaw puzzle for readers to complete, alongside colouring books with coloured pencils provided. We have also put out individual colouring sheets that can be taken to desks. We found a lot of fun designs including smiling dogs (Pomeranians and dachshunds), lazy cats, dragons and flowers.

We also have an origami section which includes paper and three fun books with instructions:

• Origami, by Sally Henry and Trevor Cook, lots of varied designs, with handy photos, perfect for beginners.
• Origami dinosaurs for beginners, by John Montroll, focussing on Earth’s ancient dwellers, the designs become more complex as you flick through.
• Dragons and other fantastic creatures in origami, by John Montroll, more complex origami for those skilled enough or those who just want to try something more challenging, if they dare!

Books

Our book display showcases books within the Sainsbury Library collection, but also the wider Bodleian with graphic novels, illustrated books and online audiobooks. The Bodleian Libraries is one of six legal deposit libraries in the country this means we have a lot of books that you might not expect to find in university libraries.

For more information about each book go to the ‘About the Books’ below.

Graphic novels/illustrated books, read in library

• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, words by Michael Rosen, pictures by Quentin Blake
• Neurocomic: A Comic about the Brain, by Dr. Matteo Farinella and Dr. Hana RoÅ¡
• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, by Charlie Mackesy
• Lighter than my shadow, by Katie Green
• Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me, by Ellen Forney

Managing stress, online audiobooks:

Oxford SSO required for access:

• Why zebras don’t get ulcers, by Robert M. Sapolsky, read by Peter Berkrot
• The mindfulness solution: everyday practices for everyday problems, by Ronald D.Siegl, read by Paul Brion (available as ebook too).
• Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog: 10 Simple Ways to Find Focus, Improve Memory, and Feel Grounded by Jill Weber, read by Daniela Acitelli,

Motivation and thinking, physical books:

• Teach yourself to think, by Edward de Bono
• Drive : the surprising truth about what motivates us, by Daniel H. Pink.

Happiness and self-help, physical books:

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, by Mark Manson
• On Being Authentic, by Charles Guignon.
• Happiness & economics: how the economy and institutions affect human wellbeing, by Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (available as ebook too).
• Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth, by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas Diener.

Window Display

Our window display shows data on the business of mental health and wellbeing. It showcases data and charts relating to stress, corporate wellness services and fitness trends.

About the books (from the blurbs!):

• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book — ‘Who is sad? Sad is anyone. It comes along and finds you’
• Neurocomic- ‘Do you know what your brain is made of? How does memory function? What is a neuron and how does it work? For that matter what’s a comic and in the words of Lewis Caroll’s famous caterpillar: who are you?’
• The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse-‘A book of hope for uncertain times. Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.’
• Lighter Than My Shadow- ‘a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak as to prey on the vulnerable, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure towards happiness.’
• Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me-‘Searching to make sense of the popular idea of the ‘crazy artist’, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath.’
• Why zebras don’t get ulcers– ‘Combining cutting-edge research with a healthy dose of good humour and practical advice, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflictions, including depression, ulcers, colitis, heart disease, and more.’
• The mindfulness solution everyday practices for everyday problems-‘Mindfulness offers a path to well-being and tools for coping with life’s inevitable hurdles. And though mindfulness may sound exotic, you can cultivate it-and reap its proven benefits-without special training or lots of spare time. Trusted therapist and mindfulness expert Dr. Ronald Siegel shows exactly how in this inviting guide.’
• Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog-‘Brain fog is real—and it can cloud your thinking, sap your creativity and motivation, and take the joy right out of life. This book offers quick, proven-effective solutions to help you cut through the haze and think clearly.’
• Teach yourself to think. ‘Five easy-to-follow steps to clear productive thinking (…)Thinking is the most fundamental skill. Your happiness and your success depends on your thinking. The book offers a structure that broadens our ability to respond to and cope with a vast range of situations.’
• Drive : the surprising truth about what motivates us. ‘Daniel H. Pink explains in this paradigm-shattering book, the true secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and the world.’
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life -‘Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better.’
• On Being Authentic – ‘To thine own self be true.’ From Polonius’s words in Hamlet right up to Oprah, we are constantly urged to look within. Why is being authentic the ultimate aim in life for so many people, and why does it mean looking inside rather than out? Is it about finding the ‘real’ me, or something greater than me, even God? And should we welcome what we find?’
• Happiness & economics-‘Curiously, economists, whose discipline has much to do with human well-being, have shied away from factoring the study of happiness into their work (…) This is the first book to establish empirically the link between happiness and economics-and between happiness and democracy. Two respected economists, Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer, integrate insights and findings from psychology, where attempts to measure quality of life are well-documented, as well as from sociology and political science’
• Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth. ‘Utilizing sophisticated methodology and three decades of research by the world’s leading expert on happiness, Happiness challenges the present thinking of the causes and consequences of happiness and redefines our modern notions of happiness.’