Our mental health is tough enough, but does it affect your job?
Work can be hard enough as it but when you are dealing with a mental health issue it can sometimes be more than you can handle. Millions of people suffer from mental health issues every day. It is avoidable and hard to cope with at times, especially if you are trying to balance your 9 to a 5-day job. Most people feel alone when dealing with their mental health issues but when they are feeling it at work, they tend to put on a brave face and push it down as far as they can.
Working up the corporate ladder is a goal for almost anyone with a job. We want to make more money, get more benefits and be able to afford to live very comfortably with their lives outside of the office. You want to work hard and clear every hurdle in your way trying to prevent you from winning the race that is your job. The more you accomplish in work, the more responsibility you will be given to prove your worth and prove that you are ready to handle the next level.
Doing all this in your career and balancing everything that comes with it is a bit of a challenge. Sure, you can handle all of that but when your anxiety, stress, depression or ect puts that added weight on your day that can cause everything to topple down on you. Mental health is never something that should stand in the way of who you are or stand in the way of your career. Your mental health is a part of you like anything else, but it shouldn’t be what will define you in your life.
When you feel that your mental health is too overwhelming while you are working, it is best to take a few minutes for yourself. Walk away from your desk, take a break, and refresh yourself. Sometimes walking away from a busy situation is all that you need to make you feel better. Take some time to listen to some music, refill your water bottle or just go outside and get some fresh air. Sometimes being outside can be therapeutic. If you think about it when you are inside in school or even in the office, you tend to look outside and wish for a bit of freedom.
While this can be refreshing, helpful, and much needed you may not have the time during your day to do it more than twice. Still, you should be aware of your much-needed breaks and make sure to schedule them on your calendar so that you don’t get too busy and forget. We tend to be hyper-focused beings when it comes to working. We tend to get so wrapped up in what we are doing that we forget to do simple things like drink water, eat or even relax a little.
Staying focused is great, especially when you are counting on it to continue to carve your career path towards your next goal. You want to keep goals when you are trying to be successful with really anything you do. Making goals that keep you on track is very important when it comes to your success in your career. Setting goals for your mental health is also a good tactic to have. Being aware of how your mental health strikes is a way to sometimes combat it. Granted, mental health is unpredictable but if you have goals for your mental health, you can help them intertwine with your work goals.
Setting your mental health goals is just as important as your work goals. Taking time to set a goal of how you want to better combat your mental health at work will benefit you in the long run. You can set goals like making sure you take mental health breaks throughout the day, seeing what types of therapy options your work has that could benefit you, and even set a goal to get further help outside of the workplace could be an extra step that you need to feel great at work.
Sometimes your mental health must be more controlled than you can handle on your own. Therapy is a great way to talk those things out and not have them being held in while you deal with work stress as well. Holding those anxiety feelings or stressful feelings can do more harm than good. That stress could fester inside of you and potentially cause you more health problems in the future. There are times when you may have to go further than that and see a doctor to help. Your doctor can further look into the next steps for you and see how they might be affecting your physical health.
Your doctor may want to prescribe you medication or medications that might be the best way to help you. Sometimes your mental health is just as common as a chemical imbalance that can be stabilized by taking some medications daily. Many people suffer from mental health while at work and feel prescription medicine for anxiety, stress, depression, paranoia, etc does wonder for them. They may be people out there that feel that using prescription drugs does more harm than good and feel a natural approach is best.
Whatever your choice is, do what is right for you. See your doctor multiple times, ask a lot of questions, and don’t hold back with what you are suffering from. People tend to not want to admit what types of mental health they are dealing with as they might feel it is a sign of weakness. You should never feel that dealing with mental health issues is a weakness. Who you are should always be a strength. Your mental health doesn’t define you, but it is a part of you. It’s best to admit what you’re struggling with and not hide who you are. Your mental health can get in the way of your career path at work but only if you let it. Don’t let your mental health define your worth at your job. You got this and can accomplish anything.
