<p>The Labor Day weekend is upon us, and it means that many are flocking to celebrations of some kind and looking forward to spending the day together before the start of the upcoming academic year, and onset of autumn and winter.&nbsp; But, what does it mean, in reality?&nbsp; How is the best way to celebrate this long weekend intentionally and with purpose?</p> <p>The root of Labor Day</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As many know, the entire history of Labor day is focused on the idea of celebrating the moment and taking time to celebrate the workers and their achievements in the economic world.&nbsp; It is intended to be celebratory and in support for those who are in the workplace and world of commerce.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To date, it is still celebrated that way, but there are many who are starting to look at the celebrations and how they are different, now, from the whole focus on treating employees with respect and genuine care.&nbsp; Further, how this disconnect makes many feel as though they are unimportant as far as their needs and requests for change.</p> <p>The areas for change</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to workers of our modern day and age, there are several sectors that could use a detailed reboot in order to help better the quality of life for these workers themselves.&nbsp; These focus areas include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Availability and inclusion of health insurance:</strong> Many low wage or even &ldquo;blue collar&rdquo; jobs do not have very good health insurance.&nbsp; Some have none.&nbsp; This means that many are unable to properly care for themselves on a daily basis or have to worry about how to make their bare minimum coverage work with everyone in the household.</li> <li><strong>Access to mental health and addiction services:</strong> Easy and affordable access to mental health services as well as addiction services are also common requests that workers can seek the help they need and deserve to be their best selves.&nbsp; The other focus within this sector is that there is a need for discretion, too, even when seeking the support through work services.</li> <li><strong>Preventative healthcare:</strong> This is important especially for those who are raising children and want their children, as well as themselves, to have preventative care for common health conditions to help prevent a health crisis down the road.&nbsp; This is a common exclusion of many policies that do offer health insurance, or it is not enough to cover everyone.</li> </ul> <p>The potential for Labor Day to spark change</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In speaking out about the biggest points of concern, many feel as though they can start to lend a voice to their needs as modern day laborers.&nbsp; This is where a lot of mental health specialists are focusing their approaches, too, both privately in sessions with patients as well as publicly posting about it.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While the wheels of change can be slow, the more voices that join in the conversation, the better the change will be.&nbsp; Perhaps this Labor Day weekend will be an opportunity for many to branch out into a world of change that means something to them -- like it was intended back in the beginning.</p> <p>Sources</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2014.9a18">https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2014.9a18</a></li> <li><a href="https://careforyourmind.org/labor-day-thoughts-on-mental-health-policy-and-the-workforce/">https://careforyourmind.org/labor-day-thoughts-on-mental-health-policy-and-the-workforce/</a></li> </ul>