Protecting Your Mental Health at Work  

If your chair at work caused you back or leg pain, you would change the position of the chair or simply purchase a new one. Why, then, do women who feel like work is driving them crazy often wait too long to do something about it? The CDC reports that nearly 1 in 10 adults will suffer from depression at least once in their lives. You can reduce the mental effects of frustration, anxiety and depression at work in the same way you would fix a chair that causes you pain.

Change Your Reactions
You cannot always change the people or circumstances with which you work, but you can control your reaction to them. If financial troubles in your business have added stress and depression to your already full plate, separate what you can and cannot control. You can’t control the economy, but you can control how you service your customers in a slow economy or how you market your products and services to grow new business. Concentrate on the items in your control.

You might have inherited your time from the previous leader, so you might have to work with a few people whom you might not have chosen yourself. You do get to choose how you will interact with those people each day. Instead of complaining that so-and-so did not complete the documentation you needed for today, choose to manage your emotions and the situation. What are your options? You can ask for a firm time when that person’s portion of the project will be completed and adjust accordingly, you can do the work yourself and move forward, or you can tell everyone in sight what happened and spread your negative emotions around while destroying the other person’s reputation. You decide where you wish to devote your mental energy.

Associate with Positive People
People with negative mindsets emit negative energy that will engulf you quicker than the scent of sweaty gym clothes in a closed car on a summer day. First, limit your exposure to negativity. Avoid the people that cause angst in the workplace, if you can. If you must interact with someone whose negativity wears on you and saps your energy, keep your interactions brief. When someone comes to you to complain, try to turn the conversation toward something positive.

Whenever possible, surround yourself with positive, upbeat people. Positive energy and attitude encourages a happier and healthier mental state. Sometimes, when you have spent months or years working with someone, you don’t readily notice whether they are positive or negative. Suzy is just being Suzy. Think about how you feel after you have spent time with that person. Are you happier, ready to jump into the next project? Or are you angry, frustrated or ready to lash out at everyone? Let your mood be the litmus test.

Seek Your Passion & Purpose
Does heading to the office fill you with dread, or do you become energized at the thought of the thrilling challenges you will face when you reach your desk? When something feels wrong, it very often is. Perhaps you become depressed at the thought of going to work because you are working at the wrong position, the wrong company or the wrong industry entirely. Think about your natural talents, abilities and interests. Do you earn a living feeding your natural passion, or are you selling your soul to make a dollar?

A prolongued undercurrent of discontent can alter your mental state and convince you that you don’t deserve better or that you won’t fit in anywhere else. It can also make it difficult to discern what your true purpose is. Consult with a trusted mentor, family member or a coach. Many times, people who know us well will notice our strengths or gifts long before we can see them ourselves. Do not be afraid to ask for advice and guidance.

Work Hard, Play Hard
You would never relentlessly run on a treadmill for 12-14 hours without taking breaks to re-fuel, drink some water, and let your muscles relax a bit. Then why would you assume your brain never needs a break? Severe fatigue, aching joints and stress fractures are all ways that your body will signal to you that you have been over-doing it physically.

When you have been working hard, you need to find the balance that you can only achieve by playing hard too. Our brains send signals that we are reaching our mental thresholds too, but too frequently, we ignore the warnings. Insomnia, panic attacks and bouts of depression are sometimes signals that you need a mental break to let your brain regroup and recover.

Schedule yourself time for periodic mental health days, or hours if you can’t spare an entire day. Leave the laptop at home. Silence your cellphone. Do something to recharge your mental batteries such as visiting a nature center, kayaking, taking a day hike, reading in the park or spending a day at the beach listening to the surf. Pretend that the doctor told you to ice your brain for several hours and keep it elevated.

Help Someone Else
Helping others provides you with the instant gratification of seeing the positive results of your actions. The opportunities to assist others are almost limitless. You can mentor someone in your own office or through an industry organization. You can volunteer through a church or community center. You can offer your services to a school or a charitable organization. The positive emotions from helping someone else can offset the negative emotions resulting from things like tight deadlines, downsizing and decreased profitability.

Sometimes, the mental strain you feel at work originates outside your workplace. Your overall physical health affects your mental health as well. Poor physical condition could be compromising your effectiveness and your mental state at work. To keep mentally fit at work you need to sleep a minimum of 7-8 hours per night; exercise regularly to reduce stress and release endorphins, the brain chemicals that lift your mood and provide a burst of energy; eat a balanced diet filled with nutritious foods.

If you are managing everything within your power, but you still feel overwhelmed or depressed, ask for help. Consult a mental health professional to help you sort it out and get you back on track.