We all have had moments at work where we have felt stressed.
While a bit of stress is common, more and more of us are finding it hard to thrive at work.
Right now, it is partially hard for many of us because of world events. If asked, many of us would say we are simply surviving.
The stress that we are experiencing is causing record amounts of burnout at work.
To create a work environment that works for us not against us it is important that we consider the impact of our mental health on our work.
How Mental Health Impacts Work.
We all have experienced moments where we feel like we are barely holding ourselves together at work.
Moments where we feel like we are being asked to push ourselves beyond our personal limits. When we are under stress or experiencing burnout, we find it hard to concentrate on the work before us.
There have been numerous studies that have explored the effects of stress on work performance and what organizations can do to support employee mental health.
If we are struggling with work-life balance, we will not be able to do our jobs well and are more likely to make a range of costly mistakes.
How To Identify Mental Health Struggles?
Sometimes when we are in the thick of things it can be hard to identify when we are experiencing normal levels of stress vs. when our jobs are dramatically impacting our mental wellbeing.
It is important to identify when we are struggling and need help because mental health impacts our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
One way we can determine if we need professional help is if our mental health struggles are impacting how we go about our lives.
If we are struggling to get out of bed in the morning, keep our homes clean, or maintain basic hygiene standards these are signs that we need additional support.
What Are Employers Doing About Mental Health?
More and more employers are recognizing the importance of checking in with their employees and their employees’ mental health.
Many employers provide a wide range of employee mental health resources including access to free or low cost therapists, training about managing mental health, meditation or yoga classes, or even creating work schedules that help their employees thrive.
Employers know that if they create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing about their mental health their employees are much more likely to perform well.
In addition, with some small modifications it is possible to increase the likelihood that employees will stay instead of getting burned out and leaving the employer once again searching for workers.
How To Take Control of Our Mental Health
Sometimes we find that we are in a stressful job or that we are experiencing burnout and need ideas on how to reframe our experiences.
When we reach out to a therapist or counselor for mental health support they will likely want to focus on four areas including: our overall health, having a stable and safe place to live, having a purpose, and being able to build connection and community with others.
Often, we will find that our mental health improves by having someone to listen to us as we articulate the struggles we are having.
It is important that we remember that everyone is struggling and whatever we are struggling with is important and should be acknowledged and worked through.
Mental health plays a key role in our overall health and in our ability to do our work in a timely manner.
Poor mental health routines can lead to burnout, anxiety, and stress which all impact our work.
Therefore, more and more employers are setting aside resources to help support their employees’ mental wellbeing.
While these services are a wonderful addition to our jobs it is also important that we take responsibility for our own mental health.
If we are noticing that our mental health is negatively impacting our lives or our work, it is time to reach out and ask for additional resources.
There are a wide range of free or low-cost options available online which can help us take control of our own mental health.
Feeling like we have control is a great way to move from feeling like we are just surviving to feeling like we are really thriving at work.