MUSCAT, NOV 14
Dr Amira al Raidan, the first Omani Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship winner in more than a decade, delivered a speech on mental resilience at the workplace to an invited audience in Washington recently. Al Raidan, an Omani psychiatrist, mental health advocate and healthcare leader, is taking part in the programme in the US capital.
She was received by Talal bin Sulaiman al Rahbi, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the United States of America, and other diplomats and embassy staff, and emphasised the importance of mental well-being and adaptability in professional environments.
“In today’s demanding professional environments, workplace stress is an increasing concern that can contribute to burnout syndrome and other stress-related disorders when left unmanaged. Therefore, promoting mental resilience is essential to protecting employees’ psychological well-being, enhancing professional performance, and ensuring sustainable productivity,” Al Raidan told the Observer.
She said mental resilience is the ability to adapt positively to workplace challenges, manage unexpected pressures and respond to difficult situations with flexibility, confidence and emotional balance. It is not about avoiding stress but about developing healthy ways to manage it, she added.
According to Al Raidan, strengthening mental resilience requires four essential practices. “The first is self-awareness where we need to recognise personal stress thresholds, identify early warning signs, and develop effective coping skills. This is followed by leadership and teamwork which demand us to build trust, encourage open communication, and support colleagues to strengthen collective readiness for unexpected challenges,” she said.
The third is mindfulness and self-care, which means prioritising adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and healthy daily habits to maintain psychological and physical well-being. The most important is maintaining meaningful social connections and relationships with family and friends, as strong social support is an important source of emotional strength.
Mental resilience is both an individual and an organisational responsibility, Al Raidan said. A resilient workforce is not simply one that withstands pressure but one that adapts, supports others and thrives through challenges, and investing in mental resilience means investing in healthier people, stronger organisations, professional excellence and sustainable productivity, she added.
