Why construction needs a new conversation about mental health

Every day, the construction industry solves problems that most people never see. Projects run to impossible deadlines, margins are squeezed, labour shortages continue to bite and safety remains paramount. Decisions made in minutes can have consequences that last for decades. However, while we often talk about the physical demands of construction, we spend far less time discussing the emotional weight carried by the people who keep the industry moving, even though the statistics suggest we should, writes John Ridgeway.

Research from organisations including the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and Mates in Mind has consistently shown that mental health challenges are significantly more prevalent within construction than in many other industries. Long working hours, financial pressure, job insecurity, travelling long distances, isolation, workplace culture and the expectation to simply "get on with it" all contribute to an environment where stress can quietly become overwhelming.

For many people, asking for help still feels harder than carrying the burden alone, because we've become very good at fixing buildings, but less good at fixing ourselves.

Construction is an industry built on solving problems. When something goes wrong on site, experienced professionals identify the issue, develop a solution and move forward.

Many of us approach our own wellbeing in exactly the same way.We look for another productivity system, another motivational podcast, another resilience workshop, another time-management technique and another way to cope.

These things all have value, but perhaps we've been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, "What more do I need to add to feel better?" perhaps we should be asking, "What am I carrying that I no longer need?"

A Different Way of Thinking

This is the central idea behind a new book, which challenges the idea that people have to think in a different way to feel good about themselves. It is called You're Not Broken by author Michael Younge. The book further challenges one of the biggest assumptions within the personal development industry - that we improve ourselves by continually adding more habits, more routines and more positive thinking.

Instead, it introduces what the author calls The Psychology of Subtraction. The idea is remarkably simple. Most people are not held back because they lack confidence. They are held back because confidence has been buried beneath fear. The book could have been written for people working within construction.

Most people are not missing resilience. It has simply become hidden beneath anxiety, self-doubt, comparison and unrealistic expectations. The book takes the idea that peace and personal growth is less about becoming someone new and more about removing what no longer belongs.

A Lesson Construction Already Understands

Interestingly, construction professionals should already understand this principle better than they may realise. Every successful project begins with preparation. Before foundations are poured, the site is cleared. Unstable ground is removed. Obstacles are dealt with.

Nobody would build a multi-million-pound development on weak foundations and simply hope everything works out. Yet many of us attempt to build happier, healthier lives while carrying years of accumulated stress, guilt, anger, unrealistic expectations and emotional exhaustion. It can be argued that the foundations matter just as much in life as they do in construction.

Mental health initiatives across construction have made enormous progress over the last decade. Companies are investing in Mental Health First Aiders and the Lighthouse Charity continues to provide vital support. Mates in Mind is helping organisations change workplace culture and the CIOB has worked tirelessly to raise awareness throughout the profession.

These initiatives save lives. However, perhaps there is room for another conversation alongside them. Rather than asking people to simply "be positive", perhaps we can encourage them to identify one unnecessary burden they could let go of - one fear, one resentment, one unrealistic expectation or one impossible standard.

Perhaps we should now be asking if removing one emotional weight creates far more change than adding another motivational slogan.

Nobody Is Broken

Construction has always been about creating structures that stand the test of time. Perhaps the same principle applies to people. The strongest individuals are rarely those who carry the greatest weight. They are often those who have learned what they no longer need to carry.

This is why I like this book because You're Not Broken leaves readers with just one thought. You do not need to become somebody else. You do not need another version of yourself.

You may simply need to uncover the person who has been there all along, because sometimes the most powerful form of positive thinking isn't adding more. It's having the courage to let go.