Did you know that only 1 in 10 people feel okay with talking to their employers about their mental health? You aren’t alone if you’re struggling to talk about how you feel to the people in power, but the thing is, without communication you’re not going to get the help that you need. Your mental health matters and you have to be willing to discuss them if you are going to end up getting the right help. You spend upwards of seven hours per day in the workplace, which means that you might not always have the time to work on your mental health, and your career probably isn’t helping you, either.
As much as possible, you have to find ways to improve your mental health. You can get your employer to help you and you can read as much as possible from authors like Mike Smeth. Mental health issues are not a joke and you should never wait around to get help for them. Your brain – just like the rest of your body – can become injured and sick. When this happens, you have to consider how you are looking after your mental health. Below, we’ve got some tips that you need to ensure that you can work on your mental health at work and work on not allowing your job to break you.
Communicate
It’s the hardest thing to do when you are struggling with your mental health. It’s a hard topic to discuss but if you don’t tell people that you are struggling, no one can support you. Your employer should want to step up and help you so that you can be the best employee that you can. Even if all they can ask is how you are, you have to have open communication channels to ensure that you are able to gain support for your health. Your mental health matters, so try – where you can – to talk about it.
Slow down
If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t run on it. If your brain is injured and damaged with poor mental health, you have to consider slowing down and not working it so hard. This means ensuring that you slow down your workload and taking little pieces at a time. When you slow down, you reduce the pressure on your brain, reduce the stress you’re feeling and take the time to work at a slower pace. You’re stopping your work and quitting; you’re giving yourself time to catch up a little.
Ask for extra training
If your mental health is suffering at work, ask for extra training. There are always training options available for those at work, and if you are dealing with feeling overwhelmed, you are going to need extra support. Asking for training, for extra classes and more is going to help you to overcome the worrying. Working on your mental health can take time and if you work on extra training, you will be able to get through the days easier.
Ask what support is on offer
Some companies offer in-house psychiatry and counselling for those working for them. If you are working in a stressful role you’re going to need someone to lean on. A therapist will be able to give you the support that you need so that you can be successful in the future of the role you are in.
Maintain a good routine
If you want to improve and support your mental health, you need to maintain your workplace routine as much as possible. Try to stick to the same daily routines that you have always done, from how you get to work to how you work while you’re in the office. You want to be able to keep your routines as normal as possible to keep from feeling overwhelmed.
Get up and move
Sometimes, being stuck at your desk can be everything that contributes to the stress you are feeling. You don’t have to be stuck at a desk and it can be much better for your mental health to get up and away from your desk sometimes. Move around, get rid of any nervous energy and make sure that you speak to people face to face rather than email. Sometimes, connection is all that you need to feel better.
Your mental health is not something that you should mess around with. It’s something that you can manage over time, but it’s not going to help you to stay quiet and internalize it. Work up the courage to talk and get the support you deserve.
