Want to know how to deal with mental health at work?
Mental health is frequently neglected, particularly at work, despite being a vital component of our total well-being. Both personal and professional lives can be greatly improved by knowing how to deal with and enhance mental health at work. This blog article will examine the causes behind poor mental health at work and offer helpful methods to deal with these issues. Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
- Work can have a significant impact on your overall health and welfare. Aside from financial benefits, your career can provide meaning, structure, and purpose to your life.
- Causes behind poor mental health in the workplace may include increased job stress and demands, powerlessness in the workplace, poor or inadequate support, lack of gap between work and personal life, and career uncertainty.
- Trouble concentrating and thinking, changes in your appetite or sleep patterns, changes in your mood, loss of interest in activities, fear, or anxiousness, and unusual behavior could be signs of mental health issues at work.
- To deal with your mental health at work, try to take regular breaks throughout the day, practice relaxing techniques, take care of yourself, find meaning and purpose in your work, and try connecting and collaborating with others.
The Impact of Work on Mental Health
Work can have a significant impact on your overall health and welfare. Aside from financial benefits, your career can provide meaning, structure, and purpose to your life. It can also give you a sense of purpose, boost your self-esteem, and provide a valuable social outlet.
However, working in a hostile workplace can have the opposite impact, wreaking havoc on your emotional health. Long hours, understaffing, a lack of support, and workplace harassment can all increase stress and lead to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and drug addiction. These issues have only been compounded by the pandemic and significant shifts in our working habits over the last few years.
Many of us have spent months adjusting to the new pressures of working remotely, only to have to re-adjust to commuting and working onsite once more. Work can have an impact on your mental health, and vice versa, affecting job performance and productivity. In fact, present estimates imply that mental health issues cost the global economy $1 trillion every year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and employee turnover.
For most of us, most of our work environment is beyond our control. The culture at work is set by individuals in senior positions above us, and we frequently feel unable to speak up without fear of judgment or risking our jobs. However, whether your mental health issues are caused by your workplace or originate elsewhere and are interfering with your work performance, there are activities you can do to deal with yourself and preserve your well-being.
With these tips, you can learn how to discuss mental health with your employer, deal with common workplace issues, boost your resilience, and strive to reach your full potential—both at work and outside of it.
What Causes Poor Mental Health at Work?
Stress can be rife in the workplace. Stressful schedules, demanding managers, and heavy workloads can be bad for our mental health. It is like being in a sealed container. I’ve worked in demanding positions before, so I can attest to how exhausting they can be. Let’s examine the causes behind poor mental health in the workplace:
#1. Increased Job Stress and Demands
According to the American Institute of Stress, 80% of American workers report feeling stressed out at work, making it the primary cause of stress for adults in the country. Chronic stress and high job demands are the main causes of poor mental health at work. When job expectations are continuously high and there are insufficient resources or support, workers may become depressed, anxious, or even experience burnout.
Mental health providers stress how crucial it is to strike a balance between work demands and available resources. It is the responsibility of employers to give workers enough support, reasonable deadlines, and a platform to express their concerns.
#2. Powerlessness in Workplace
The sense of being powerless over one’s job can have a serious negative effect on mental health. This involves having strict work schedules, little autonomy, and little say in decision-making processes. Anxiety and depression are among the mental health problems that employees with little control over their jobs are more likely to experience, says a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
Giving workers more autonomy over their work can enhance their emotional and occupational well-being. Employers can accomplish this by allowing employees to participate in decision-making processes, providing flexible work schedules, and promoting initiative.
#3. Poor or Inadequate Support
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, bullying occurs in the workplace for 19% of Americans, and one of the main causes of mental health issues is poor or inadequate support. Inadequate support from managers and coworkers may be a contributing factor to poor mental health. Employees who don’t get enough assistance could feel isolated, which might increase stress levels and lower job satisfaction.
Encouraging mental wellness at work requires a supportive work environment. It is recommended that employers cultivate a collaborative atmosphere, offer mentorship initiatives, and ensure that managers receive training on identifying and providing help for mental health issues.
#4. Lack of Gap Between Work and Personal Life
According to the Mental Health Foundation, forty percent of workers neglect other facets of their lives due to work, which results in poor mental health and burnout. Poor mental health might result from an imbalance between work and personal life. Consistently letting work interfere with personal time can lead to stress, exhaustion, and broken relationships.
My personal life was completely overshadowed by my work life for a while. I was always available, even on the weekends and on holidays. I have strained my relationships with family and friends and also experience constant stress as a result of this imbalance. Restoring my mental and general well-being prompted me to learn how to prioritize my personal life and set boundaries.
Sustaining mental health requires promoting work-life balance. Employers ought to encourage breaks, establish clear boundaries for working hours, and support flexible work arrangements.
#5. Career uncertainty
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), stress, anxiety, and depression are all elevated in situations where there is job instability. Mental health can be greatly impacted by career uncertainty or job loss anxiety. Uncertainty about the future might cause persistent anxiety and poor work output.
Companies can lessen the effects of career uncertainty by encouraging open lines of communication, offering chances for professional advancement, and helping staff members through changes.
Signs and Symptoms of a Mental Health Issue at Work
We all have awful days at work from time to time, days when nothing seems to go right. You may struggle to focus, feel unnecessarily stressed, irritated, or unappreciated, or lack the energy and enthusiasm to do even the most basic tasks. However, if you feel this way daily, it can be a sign that something is amiss.
Many mental health disorders develop gradually. You can become so accustomed to feeling nervous, worried, and gloomy at work that it becomes “normal”. However, ignoring the early warning signs of a problem will not make it go away; it will simply worsen over time, leaving you open to diseases and other health problems, causing burnout, and hurting your job performance, relationships, and home life.
While the symptoms of mental health disorders can vary greatly depending on the condition and the individual experiencing them, it is essential to be aware of any changes in how you think, feel, or behave. If you identify with several of the signs listed below in yourself (or in a coworker or employee), it could be time to seek medical care.
Also Read: How to Maintain a Good Mental Health
- Decline in your performance at work. You struggle to carry out your everyday tasks at work (as well as at home or in social situations).
- Trouble concentrating and thinking. You are having difficulty focusing on tasks, as well as challenges with memory, thinking, or even changes in your speaking habits.
- Changes in your appetite or sleep patterns. Struggling with insomnia, sleeping excessively, sudden changes in how much you eat, or relying more and more on drugs and alcohol to cope.
- Changes in your mood. You feel hopeless, helpless, anxious, or have atypical mood swings or suicidal thoughts.
- Loss of interest in activities. You lose interest in areas of your job that you previously enjoyed, give up hobbies you used to enjoy, or withdraw from friendships and social activities. This could be accompanied by extreme apathy.
- Fear, or anxiousness. You are too distrustful of others at work or social gatherings, or you become nervous and frightened in certain conditions.
- Unusual behavior. You feel disconnected from your environment, show abnormal, unusual, or out-of-control behavior, and see or hear things that are not real.
How to Deal with Mental Health at Work
When stress, harassment, or mental health issues impair your performance, relationships, and physical functioning at work, you may feel disconnected, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn. But you are far from being alone.
According to recent surveys, over one-fifth of US citizens report having a mental health issue each year, with 70% experiencing stress. While most individuals never seek help, there are steps you can take today to deal with your mental health at work.
#1. Switch Off
Whether you work on-site or remotely, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential. This includes taking regular breaks throughout the day and turning off your screens after you finish work. Instead of being available 24/7 to respond to work calls, emails, or other messages, prioritize friends and family and take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy yourself.
#2. Practice Relaxing Techniques
Relaxing and recharging entails more than simply zoning out on the couch in front of the TV. To counteract the negative effects of stress and protect your mental health, activate your body’s relaxation response. This can be accomplished by using a relaxation technique such as meditation, deep breathing, rhythmic activity, or yoga.
#3. Take Care of Yourself!
Getting enough quality sleep each night, eating a healthy, nutritious diet, and exercising regularly can all have a significant impact on how to deal with your mental health—at work and elsewhere. These are also parts of your life over which you have greater influence than many things at work. The more you work on self-care, the better you will feel. If required, talk to a therapist about developing self-care skills.
#4. Find Meaning and Purpose in Your Work
Even if you don’t like your job, you can still find meaning and purpose in what you do. Try to focus on how your work benefits others, such as providing an important product or service, or on the relationships you have with your colleagues. Looking for opportunities to get more training or take job-related classes can also help you to find more meaning in your work.
#5. Try Connecting and Collaborating
Human beings want connection. Developing mutually supportive connections with your coworkers, working as a team, and having fun together can all help relieve stress and improve your mood at work. If you are not close to your coworkers, make an effort to pool resources for projects, collaborate more closely, and be more social during breaks and outside of work.
#6. Build Resiliency
The more resilient you are, the better you will be able to deal with the stress, worry, and hopelessness that can result from mental health problems at work. Building resilience can also help you overcome setbacks in your job or personal life and retain a good attitude. Rather than a masculine attribute, resilience involves effort to build and maintain over time.
#7. Maintain a Regular Work Schedule
When you work from home, it can be tough to distinguish between business and personal time, so many individuals end up working far longer hours. To retain a sense of normalcy, strive to have regular office hours that start and end at the same time each day. Some people find it beneficial to go for a walk before starting work in the morning and again after finishing work in the evening. It might assist you in mentally transitioning from work to home mode and vice versa.
#8. Schedule Breaks and Sets Boundaries
Just because your workplace is at home does not require you to be available at all times. Set aside time to take a break from your screens and have lunch, for example, and then turn off your phone and computer when you’re done for the day. Try to provide enough time between virtual meetings so they don’t feel overwhelming.
#9. Create a Dedicated Workspace
Even if you don’t have a separate area for a home office, try to set out a space specifically for work, rather than working at the kitchen table, for example. You’ll find it easier to stick to a regimen and separate your professional and personal lives.
How to Talk to Your Employer About Mental Health
Mental health and drug abuse cost businesses billions of dollars each year, therefore it is in your employer’s best interest to listen and take steps to enhance the workplace wherever possible.
The range of information you choose to disclose will be primarily determined by your employer’s personality, the level of trust in your relationship with them, and your own level of comfort. If your boss is bullying, harassing, or creating a dysfunctional workplace, you should address his superior or someone from your company’s human resources department.
It can also assist to:
#1. Choose the Appropriate Time to Talk
Find a peaceful moment at work to approach your boss, when they are more likely to be relaxed and not stressed. That may be at the end of the week, for example, when things are winding down, rather than during peak hours or before a tight deadline. Try to set a time that is both distraction-free and unlikely to be disturbed.
#2. Focus on Your Work Performance
Instead of just listing all of your grievances, explain to the boss how certain situations are affecting your capacity to function at your job. For example, you could describe how abrupt changes in your duties and responsibilities have caused significant levels of stress or exacerbated your panic episodes.
#3. Provide Concrete Solutions Wherever Feasible
Suggest changes that the boss can make to assist you improve your job performance. For example, if you need to see your therapist without being late for work, requesting flexible hours or working from home on some days of the week could be a viable option. If you’re busy owing to understaffing, propose which low-priority tasks you could skip or delegate to avoid falling behind.
#4. Know Your Legal Rights
Depending on your country or state of residency, you may be entitled to reasonable accommodations to assist you in carrying out your job responsibilities. While it is always preferable to maintain a conciliatory rather than combative tone with your employer, understanding your legal position can provide credibility to any legitimate requests you make.
Conclusion
Maintaining your mental health at work is crucial for your general well-being and output. Striking a balance between work and personal life is the goal. Recall that you are not alone. Many folks deal with comparable issues.
So, which techniques have you discovered to be effective in looking after your mental health while working? Please feel free to share your stories in the comments. Together, let’s make the workplace happier and healthier.
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- How to Heal Your Mental Health
- What are 5 Ways to Improve Mental Health
- What is Psychological Safety: All you Need to Know!
- Why is it Important to Take Care of Your Mental Health
- How to Prevent Mental Health Problems
- What Causes Poor Mental Health?
- What are the 7 Risk Factors for Mental Health?
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