Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health at Work

Numerous business-related research studies have shown that more and more workers are struggling with serious issues regarding their emotional well-being and mental health in the workplace. This increase in stress and anxiety could likely be because the average workload has increased significantly in the last few decades. Gone are the days of a five-day, forty-hour workweek.

Many companies require their employees to work longer hours and extended days, oftentimes crossing over into their evenings and weekends.

It is more important than ever for employees, as well as their employers, to be certain that office morale is kept high, as the workplace continues to become a more competitive and sometimes cutthroat environment. Here are five new techniques for helping to achieve this goal.

Find Periodic Distractions

It has been proven that focusing on one task or project for too long can increase frustration and irritation with the subject. Going over the same paperwork or organizing a warehouse full of inventory for several straight hours can be a mind-numbing experience.

This can be helped taking little mental breaks throughout the day when you begin to feel the internal pressure building. Take a short walk outside of the office and try to look for things you’ve never noticed before, or have a conversation with a coworker about something unrelated to work, but still substantial. This will fully engage your brain on another topic and can give your brain the disconnect it needs to refresh and regroup.

Keep Your Home and Personal Life in Order

Even though you may think what happens at home is separate from your work life, the fact is that if you are harbouring frustration from problems outside of the workplace, your brain does not care where you happen to be right at the moment. The brain (as well as the body) only has so much stress management capability at any given time. If you are filling up your “stress bank” with issues from your personal life, it will leave you with little room for the inevitable daily obstacles you will face on the job.

Therapy

Another unique method of dealing with the mental strain of a tough job is hypnotherapy. Its use among all age groups, especially younger professionals, is on the rise. Making this part of your stress management routine can help you cope with several issues such as sleep anxiety and insomnia, depression, vices and addictions. It can also help to relieve physical pain, which oftentimes can contribute to a shorter fuse and quicker blowups when facing other challenges.

Talk About It!

In past generations, it was often considered “weak” to express one’s feelings or allow even the slightest bit of vulnerability to show. We have now learned just how backwards and outdated this type of thinking is. Perhaps if there had been just a little bit more understanding, and less of an emphasis on who was the “toughest,” mental illness in and out of the workplace wouldn’t have such a negative stigma surrounding it.

Participate in Significant Activities Outside of Work

We have all heard this age-old advice for when we seem to be over-stressed or highly frustrated: “You need a hobby”. Well, there is quite a bit of truth to that saying. For one, reminding yourself that there is more to life than a computer screen or piece of machinery can go a long way to helping us realize that it’s just a job.

Getting involved in anything you are passionate about will help reduce stress and increase happiness simply taking the time to enjoy it. Try a new type of fitness class at the gym (something that requires some effort to get the hang of) or a jog or hike in a new place. Something skill-based like cooking or a game is also a fantastic way to remind yourself that there are other significant things in the world.

Whatever you do, just make sure that is something that not only helps take your mind off work in the short term but also provides a sense of enjoyment and pleasure that carries into the week. The bottom line is that no matter what you do for a living, there is no reason to let it have a damaging effect on your mental or emotional health. Your well-being is more important than any clock or project.