Employment takes centre stage in most of our lives, so here’s how to be mentally healthy at work and maintain a high quality of life.
For most of us, a great number of our days are spent at work. In fact, the average person will spend 90, 000 hours at work over their lifetime.
It’s safe to say, work has a huge impact on our lives.
The type of work we do, the company we work for, the people we work with and the amount of money we earn influence our quality of life in a significant way. Our work can promote, or undermine, health (physical and mental), relationships, education, security, sense of purpose and more.
With work related stress, anxiety and depression at an all time high, we each need a workplace that supports our mental and physical wellbeing.
It’s a necessity, not a luxury.
Below are some simple principles and practices to help you stay mentally healthy at work and promote a culture that you thrive in.
Meditate daily
Meditation reduces stress and anxiety by stimulating the relaxation response, which is the opposite of the fight-or-flight response. It focuses the mind and allows us to sit in peace while we observe any thoughts, feelings and sensations that come and go.
This powerful practice, along with other deep breathing exercises, should form the foundation of our mental health plan. It helps us to control our level of anxiety and has a number of profound long-term benefits that include reduced heart rate and blood pressure, greater awareness and emotional health, better sleep and reduced risk of disease.
Build your mental health habits
Mental health at work, begins in the home. The things we practice each day and night, and the qualities we develop, are what we take into ‘battle’ with us.
Meditation, mindfulness, movement, positive reading, visualisation, good food, time in nature, and a full nights sleep are essential habits to build. They promote health and help us maintain a positive state of mind.
When we cut corners in these areas, say by eating junk food and staying up late, our capacity to cope lessens greatly.
Build up your energy and your resilience outside of work so that when you walk through those doors, you can handle whatever comes your way.
Keep a journal
A journal is a great tool to record and organise your thoughts. You can safely document your daily experiences at work and get a better understanding of the situations and people that bring out the best in you – as well as those that cause the greatest anxiety.
A journal can help you:
- Record your daily experience, feelings and emotions
- Celebrate your successes
- Understand your struggles
- Release anxiety
- Maintain composure and peace of mind
- Gain perspective on work and its role in your life
- Practice gratitude and dial up the positives
- Make positive changes in your work life
A journal isn’t a tool for spying on colleagues and getting them in trouble, but reflecting on your own personal experiences at work and making simple changes that benefit your mental health. Awareness is the first step in creating positive, lasting changes.
Find your flow
Work should be far more than a paycheck. Unfortunately, for a lot of people that’s all it is.
Try to find purpose, meaning and pride in your work. Do jobs that excite you and get involved in projects that lead somewhere. Even if this is not your dream job, you can still find your flow, while you upskill and look for something else.
Doing work we care nothing about, earning little money and operating below our potential can be highly stressful. Make sure that whatever role you’re in, you take little steps each day in the direction you want. Self-reliance and forward momentum are key factors in mental health.
Take regular breaks
Work isn’t the be all end all. Despite the hustle culture and the promises employers make, there is more to life. We need plenty of breaks to maintain a balanced life and a high quality of work.
Plan two major holidays a year and use any remaining days off to take long weekends every month or two. This will allow you to decompress, think about something else and rebuild your energy. Skilful use of your contracted holidays can make all the difference.
Don’t wait until you’re burned out before you take a break. Plan breaks in advance to prevent burnout.
And if working from home suits you better, that’s the kind of work you should do.
Align yourself with healthy colleagues
Different groups typically form at work based on outside interests. The athletes, the geeks, and the party animals often gravitate towards each other and make plans based on the things they like.
No matter what your interests are, it’s wise to align with yourself with colleagues who engage in healthy pursuits. Find people who like to go to the gym, do yoga, eat good food, or go for a hike on the weekends. Spend time with those who are positive and supportive.
This will benefit your health and attitude at work.
There’s no need to judge others life choices but we do need to do what’s right for ourselves over the long term, and that means limiting the number of nights we’re getting smashed on drugs and alcohol. As well as steering clear of the type of gossip and toxic behaviour that brings us down.
Ignore the a** holes
When I was growing up I quickly realised that there’s an a** hole in every room. Someone with a chip on their shoulder that likes to tease, torment, bully and generally make people’s lives a misery. Everyone can be minding there own business, perfectly content, and the a**hole needs to stir things up.
You find them in sports clubs, offices, stores and factories. No matter who you work for, or what line of work you’re in, there will be at least one a**hole in the building.
It’s important to not let them get to you or play their games. Master the art of fighting without fighting. Play water to their fire. Observe the ridiculousness of their behaviour and take the wind out of their sails by anticipating their actions and remarks.
You don’t have to resort to petty games or try to get the upper hand, but establish a resilient mindset at work and communicate boundaries. If they continually disregard those boundaries, lodge a complaint, as there will likely be others experiencing the same thing.
Talk to someone you trust
Talking is one of the best things we can do for our mental health. It makes our feelings understood, gets things off our chest and gives us perspective on what we’re going through.
Find someone, or a few people, you trust that can support your mental health needs. They can be at work, or outside if you prefer. When you just need a rant, you can do that with friends, but if you have a genuine mental health issue, find a mental health expert you can work with.
Many therapists are familiar with workplace issues and can help you manage stress, anxiety and depression. If you are struggling, don’t hesitate to get the help you need.
Host a mental health workshop
There are lots of coaches and consultants who offer workplace wellness programmes. They teach skills and habits that promote mental health for individuals and organisations. Workshops vary in style and content but are usually a fun and safe way to explore mental health issues.
An outside expert can lighten the mood, encourage communication and help shift the culture of your organisation in a positive way. All it takes is for a few team members to catch the bug and that will cascade through the company.
Ask your boss if they would be willing to offer that kind of workshop. You can even help them out by researching potential trainers and pulling together relevant data on how it can benefit the organisation.
Alternately, you can organise a weekend retreat for you and some of your colleagues to enjoy a more immersive experience. You can take the lead in the most subtle of ways to impact the mental health of your entire team.
Final thoughts
A good mental health plan can increase our focus, engagement, productivity, resilience, relationships, and earning potential. By cultivating healthy habits at home and making subtle changes at work, we can make it a far more positive experience.
With so much of our lives given to work, it should be worth our time and energy, not a source of irreparable stress and anxiety. We all have the right to be content and mentally healthy at work.
If you’ve enjoyed these tips on how to be mentally healthy at work, you may also enjoy Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health and Powerful Men’s Mental Health Tips.