The Role of Mental Health in the Office

Do you suffer job burnout, depression, anxiety, or bullying? You can improve work-life balance, handle difficult environments, and reduce stress.

Work/mental health relationship

Due to excessive hours, understaffing, and harassment, work may affect mental health yet provide significance and structure. The pandemic and workplace shifts have exacerbated anxiety, depression, and drug usage. Lack of productivity, absenteeism, and worker turnover from mental illness costs the global economy $1 trillion yearly. With little influence over their workplace, self-care is essential.

Workplace mental health risks

Examples of work-related issues that might harm mental health include:

• Long, rigid hours, personnel shortages, and a rising workload.
• Working remotely involves blurring work and personal time.
• A poisonous workplace with bullying, harassment, or abuse.
• Insufficient training or direction for the assigned position.
• Inadequate communication from management about duties, objectives, and decision-making.
• Insufficient assistance, equipment, resource shortages, or risky work practices.

Managing work-related mental illness

Stress, harassment, and mental health issues can negatively impact job performance, relationships, and physical health. Seeking treatment can help alleviate these feelings and improve overall well-being.

• Stress

Excessive stress can negatively impact health, productivity, and personal life by causing anxiety about job loss, increased work hours, or pressure. Managing stress and maintaining control is crucial.

• Depression

Depression can manifest as feeling hopeless and powerless, impacting daily activities and causing stress. Despite these feelings, there are ways to improve mood, overcome melancholy, and rediscover hope.

• Anxiety

Anxiety can be beneficial in moderation, but excessive worrying can negatively impact daily life and job performance, leading to emotional exhaustion, apprehension, and sleeplessness. Strategies to manage anxiety are available.

• Bullying or harassment

Bullying and harassment in the workplace can negatively impact an individual’s attitude, perspective, and health, leading to fear, sick days, or resignation. To restore control, document the situation, seek colleague support, and contact a manager or HR representative. Additionally, under the Adult Survivors Act, survivors of harassment and abuse have legal options to seek justice and support, ensuring a safer and more supportive work environment.

Tips for workplace mental health

Taking personal or sick days or vacations can help rejuvenate and prevent burnout, especially for chronic mental health conditions. Workplace mental health care promotes health, resilience, job performance, and future preparedness.

These tips may help:

• Switch off

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance involves taking breaks, turning off screens at night, and focusing on personal relationships rather than constantly responding to work-related communications.

• Practise relaxing methods

Utilise relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, rhythmic movement, or yoga to alleviate stress and maintain mental health rather than simply watching TV on the sofa. Ergonomic solutions like adjustable standing desks that stimulate activity and reduce sedentary behaviour promote office mental health.

• Be kind to yourself

Maintaining good sleep, a balanced diet, and regular exercise can enhance mental health, which is more manageable than employment issues, and boost mood.

• Be meaningful in your job

Embrace your career’s significance by focusing on its benefits to others, seeking additional training, or pursuing job-related courses to enhance your career’s purpose.

• Try to cooperate and connect

Humans desire connection, and building supportive relationships with colleagues can reduce stress and improve happiness. Sharing resources, working together, and socialising during breaks can help.

• Build resiliency

Resilience, a trait that requires effort to develop and maintain, can help individuals handle work challenges, overcome personal failures, and maintain optimism.

Redefining workplace mental health

Promoting workplace mental health involves recognising diverse employee experiences, de-stigmatising mental health, and expanding involvement. Companies can lead by offering emotional and professional solutions and clinical treatment while providing awareness, innovation, and support.

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