How to look after your mental health at work

UNFORTUNATELY, as much as many of us would like it to be the case, we are not machines, not even when we are at work. As such, it means that we are at risk of emotional vulnerabilities in our personal lives such as stress, anxiety and depression. This is why clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell said that it is important that we devise strategies to cope with the challenges that may arise at work.

“Work can be pretty stressful — you are dealing with many things at work from deadlines to the co-worker who keeps undermining or picking on you. Stress associated with challenges at work can escalate and can have a significant impact on you at work and even outside,” Dr Bell reasoned.

She said that one of the best gifts that you can give yourself is to make sure that you first choose a job that you enjoy because, otherwise, you will find that you are stressed daily. However, since this is not always the case or possible, Dr Bell said that you have to focus on self-care by creating a happy, healthy space to deal with the challenges.

What exactly can you do to ensure optimal mental health at work?

“Deadlines are one of the major sources of stress for many people so what you might want to do is to develop a very good schedule of getting things done in a timely manner,” Dr Bell advised. A part of sticking to a schedule, she said, includes trying not to take work home since this is likely to lead to burnout.

Also note that:

1. One important element of the work environment is communicating with co-workers, but sometimes this can be difficult because of existing conflict and associated tension. To guard your mental health, Dr Bell said that you should develop cordial relationships with co-workers and try to reduce destructive conflicts. This will make the workplace a better place to work. However, if tensions already exist, work on ironing out the matter with your colleagues to operate at a professional level.

“You must bear in mind that conflict will be in every workplace so try not to overstate conflict; or it will affect psychological well-being.”

2. Work is work and so that means you will need to stretch yourself a bit. While you may also want to make a good impression, you also want to ensure that you do not overwork yourself.

“Manage your time to have good work-life balance. Good work-life balance is one’s ability to balance all aspects of their life so that each aspect is cared for in a way so there should be work, rest, relaxation, relationship/family recreation and work in the mix of all that,” Dr Bell advised.

Failing to do this can be taxing on your emotional health at work.

3. We all deal with stress differently — some of us crumble under pressure, others do our best work and come up with the most creative solutions under pressure. Depending on your reaction to stress, Dr Bell said that it is important to make sure to have a stress management plan, practise mindfulness, which is staying in the moment, and not take on additional stresses at work that cannot be solved right away.

4. It is no secret that some of us will experience uncomfortable situations in the workplace — one of the issues being sexual assault.

“Do not be afraid to report sexual advances or assault by colleagues to the appropriate personnel, especially if you’ve asked the individual to refrain and they refuse. This is a serious issue and it can seriously impact your mental health,” Dr Bell encouraged.

The truth is, you don’t have to shoulder all the burdens of stress alone, and talking about your challenges, especially with someone you feel safe being open with or confiding in, is, in fact, one of the best ways to manage these challenges, according to Dr Bell.

“Talk to trusted colleagues about work-related issues in a bid to get them solved. Do not have issues and keep silent hoping they will be solved. In bringing up issues make sure to also think of a solution,” Dr Bell advised.

Overall, Dr Bell said that achieving optimal mental health at work is also dependent on your overall mental and physical health. She recommends that you always practise self-care. This includes eating right and exercising, avoiding emotional upset, and keeping physically healthy which will certainly give you energy and vitality to cope with work and life’s challenges.