As cybersecurity professionals, we operate in a high-stakes environment where evolving threats and the responsibility of protecting critical systems demand constant vigilance. This relentless pressure, coupled with the weight of potential consequences, significantly erodes performance and compromises cyber resilience.

The 24/7 nature of our work, driven by the fear of missing a critical threat or experiencing a major breach, creates an overwhelming workload. This sustained stress directly impacts cognitive function, which can lead to critical errors in judgment, missed security indicators, and an ongoing struggle to maintain focus and vigilance. Ultimately, this diminishes individual and team effectiveness, making us more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

This workshop will address these critical challenges, emphasising why managing mental wellbeing is fundamental to our overall cyber resilience — at individual, team, and organisational levels.

Event Objectives:

• Raise Awareness: Highlight the scale of mental health challenges in the industry and the psychosocial hazards which commonly cause stress at work.

• Promote Self-Care: Equip participants with practical self-care strategies to enhance individual mental well-being and, by extension, performance.

• Foster Team Support: Provide leaders with strategies to support team well?being, strengthening collective resilience.

• Reduce Stigma: Foster safe spaces for open discussion on mental health to reduce the stigma surrounding seeking help.

• Industry Focus: Update on the work of the Mental Health in Cyber Security Foundation (MHinCS Foundation) and its Charter.