CARING FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK - Sonali Mondal, Assistant Professor/Psychology

CARING FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK

Work is a major part of our lives. It is where we spend much of our time, where we get our income and make friends. Having a fulfilling job can be good for your mental health.

Everyone deserves a good, friendly and supportive workplace where they can thrive. Both employers and employees have a role in creating this.

Almost 60% of the world population is in work (1). All workers have the right to a safe and healthy environment at work. Work can protect mental health.

Decent work supports good mental health by providing:

• a livelihood;
• a sense of confidence, purpose and achievement;
• an opportunity for positive relationships and inclusion in a community; and
• a platform for structured routines, among many other benefits.

For people with mental health conditions, decent work can contribute to recovery and inclusion, improve confidence and social functioning.

Everyone has the right to work and all workers have the right to a safe and healthy working environment. Work can be a protective factor for mental health, but it can also contribute to worsening mental health. Work-related mental health conditions are preventable. Much can also be done to protect and promote mental health at work and support people with mental health conditions to participate fully and equitably in work.

Just as work can impact your mental health, so too, your mental health can affect your work, impacting your job performance and productivity.

Workplace risk factors for mental health

Common work-related challenges that can negatively impact your mental health include:

• Long, inflexible hours,
• short-staffing due to cutbacks or unfilled vacancies
• Increasing workload.
• Working remotely with no clear separation between work and personal time.
• A toxic workplace that fosters bullying, harassment, or abuse.
• Lack of training or guidance for the role you’re expected to fulfill.
• Limited or unclear communication from management about tasks, goals, or decision-making etc.

Signs and symptoms of a mental health issue at work

We all have bad days at work from time to time, days when nothing seems to go right. Many mental health problems develop slowly. You can get so used to feeling frazzled, anxious, and downbeat at work that it starts to feel “normal”. But by ignoring the early signs of an issue won’t make it better; it will just become worse over time, leaving you vulnerable to illnesses and other health problems, causing burnout, and damaging your job performance, relationships, and home life.

If you identify with several of the following symptoms in yourself (or in a work colleague or employee), it could indicate that it’s time to seek out for help from a professional mental health care service provider.

ü  Loss of interest in activities

ü  Decline in your performance at work

ü  Fear or nervousness

ü  Trouble concentrating and thinking. 

ü  Unusual behavior

ü  Increased sensitivity

ü  Changes in your appetite or sleeping patterns

ü  Changes in your mood

ü  Feel overly stressed

ü  Irritable

ü  Unexplained aches and pains,

ü  Lack the energy and motivation to complete even the most basic task

How to care for your mental health at work

Caring for your mental health in the workplace isn’t just about dealing with immediate mental health problems, either. It’s also about promoting well-being. Even if you’re not facing a mental health challenge right now, taking steps to care for your emotional health can help you build resilience, improve your work performance, and provide you the tools to better cope with uncertainty and challenges in the future. The following tips can help:

1.   Take care of yourself: Eating a healthy, nutritious diet, getting enough quality sleep at night, and  exercising regularly all can have role to your mental health at work. These are also aspects of your life that you have more control over than many things in your workplace. The more effort you put into self-care, the better you’ll feel. If necessary, talk to a therapist about building self-care strategies you should follow.

2.    Try to connect and collaborate: As human beings, we need connection. Developing mutually supportive relationships with your coworkers, collaborating as a team, and having fun together can help ease stress and boost your mood at work. You can follow these: talk to each other, make the effort to pool resources on projects, work closer together, and be more social during breaks and outside the workplace.

3.    Find meaning and purpose in your work: Even if you don’t love your job, you can still find ways to derive meaning and purpose from the work that you do. Try to focus on how your work helps others; for example, provides an important product or service, or the relationships you enjoy with your coworkers. Looking for opportunities to get more training or take job-related classes can also help you to find more meaning in your work. Try to learn things from the job you are engaged in.

4.  Practice relaxation techniques:  To reduce the damaging effects of stress and protect your mental health, you need to activate your body’s relaxation response. This can be done by practicing a relaxation technique such as meditation, deep breathing, rhythmic exercise, or yoga in a regular basis.

5.   Healthy Work-Life Balance: Whether you’re working onsite or remotely, it’s important to strike a healthy work-life balance. Taking regular breaks throughout the day and switching off your screens when the work day is over. Instead of making yourself available 24/7 to respond to work calls, emails, or other messages, it’s important to spend quality time with on friends and family and take the time to relax, recharge, and enjoy yourself.

6.   Build resiliency: The more resilient you are, the better you’re able to tolerate the feelings of stress, anxiety, and hopelessness that can be generated by problems at work. Building resilience can also help you managing setbacks in your career or personal life and help you maintain a positive outlook.

 By

Mrs. Sonali Mondal

Assistant Professor

PG Department of Psychology

Marudhar Kesari Jain College for Women (Autonomous)

Vaniyambadi