Sanam Edwards, Holistic Energy Healer & Wellness Guide, and Premal Patel, CEO of Healthy Minds Club UAE, reveal how ongoing regional tensions are taking a hidden toll on mental health and what managers can do to support their teams on site
As geopolitical tensions heighten and missile threat alerts become part of daily life in parts of the region, mental health is emerging as a quieter risk across the built environment, and it is directly impacting safety, performance, and workforce stability.
For FM managers and site leaders, the challenge is no longer limited to maintaining assets and ensuring uptime. Increasingly, it extends to managing teams operating under sustained psychological strain.
Fear, Uncertainty, and the Loss of Control
For blue-collar and technical workers such as MEP technicians, FM engineers, and supervisors, the psychological burden of working under threat conditions is layered and complex.
“It’s not just fear of danger. It’s the uncertainty and lack of control that affects people the most,” explains Sanam Edwards, Holistic Energy Healer & Wellness Guide.
This uncertainty is compounded for expatriate workers. Many are far from their families, carrying an additional emotional load of worry and helplessness.
Premal Patel, CEO of Healthy Minds Club UAE, expands on this, noting that fears often extend beyond immediate safety. Workers worry about job security if sites shut down, the risk of injury while rushing to shelter, and even the possibility of making critical errors due to stress-induced lapses in concentration.
