MANAGING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IN A DEMANDING WORKPLACE

I remember a time when going to work helped you earn a living and at the same time was actually fun. As a former employee in the retail sector, I was fortunate enough to work in some amazing places, one of those amazing places being Selfridges & Co in the beauty department; yes myself and Victoria Beckham; same WhatsApp group, for those who do not understand that reference, then I am showing my age.

Retail is a very demanding sector, however prior to the 2009 recession most of those that worked in retail rather enjoyed their employment; targets were not so high, rules where not militant and cost of living was certainly no where near to what it is today. As the 2009 recession came in full steam ahead, it saw in its wake, job redundancies, houses going under foreclosure as many could no longer afford their mortgages, businesses closing and prizes of items increasing as fuel costs rose. This brought about added pressure in all business sectors, where performance to meet high numbers took precedence over employees wellbeing.

Fast forward to 2021 and we are wrapping up nearly two years living with the COVID pandemic, and although many have had to adjust to working from home, which seems like a dream; no commuting on public transport squashed like a sardine on teh train, spending hours on the road in traffic, and having to dress up from the waist down. You simply get up, five minutes before work starts, take speedy shower and onto to Teams or Zoom you go ready for your work day to start. As wonderful as that sounds, it also comes with its pitfalls, and like working at the office, the toll it takes on one’s mental health is still all the same across the board and we are going to look into how best to manage your mental health whether you work remotely or physically in the office.

Have a realistic approach to workload

One the most fundamental things that individuals overlook within the workforce is how much work they agree to take on realistically and what they agree they can deliver. So let us break this down, generally due to the growth in the economies worldwide, the amount of work one needs to take on, is more than say what one would have needed to take on over ten years ago; today competition is tougher, industries are more saturated, therefore demand for productivity is higher on the workforce. Obviously one cannot simply refuse to take on work they have been hired for; however when assigned your work, you need to organise your work in accordance to importance, with that, you will have the capacity to spread it across an even time frame where you can be able to meet deadlines without falling behind. Upon putting together this type of strategy, communicate it clearly with your superior, as that not only alleviates them from constantly reminding you if you have completed your tasks, or how long you will be, which adds to stress, but it also shows your superior your willingness to use initiative within your job, which in turn has not only a positive impact on you as an employee but on your superior as well. Bear in mind, they too are receiving pressure from their higher ups, so if you are able to alleviate some of that stress from their job, it trickles all the way to the top, were pressure feels less, but productivity remains consistent.

Take breaks away from the desk

It is safe to say that, once you get in to the groove of whatever project you are assigned, the last thing that crosses your mind is to pause and walk away from it for some minutes as most feel that would break their rhythm and concentration. However that is quite the contrary; when you spend too many hours on a project, several things start to happen, you stop seeing mistakes, you make more mistakes, and in some cases creativity can get stifled. The best thing to do is after every two hours or so, get up off the desk entirely and take a few minutes, perhaps five to walk around, stretch your feet and clear your mind. You will find that when you return to your seat, you feel refreshed, and you will be able to carry on with your work with minimal errors and less strain on your mentally and physically.

Have device free tea and lunch breaks

This one seems like a tall order, however believe me you when I say that inasmuch as we love browsing the internet as we laugh and cackle at the trending viral TikTok video or Instagram reel, these very things, take a lot out of you in-between work. We need not underestimate the impact social media has on our mental health, studies have shown that social media affects things like Fear Of Missing Out(FOMO) where you have a constant need to see and be a part of what is trending or happening on social media. FOMO can contribute to anxiety which in return during the work day depending on what the individual might be feeling like they are missing out on, that level of anxiety can affect their concentration at their work. The more one gets accustomed to not utilising their devices to access social media during work breaks, the more they will be able to dedicate that time not thinking about what they are missing out on, but actually spend time catching up with colleagues or enjoying a nice hot or cold lunch with some peace and quiet or an enjoyable book.

Do not take your work home

Some jobs have got work that seems to be never ending, and this has become more prevalent with home working where individuals carry on working beyond the standard office hours which in return gets in the way of quality time on self and family. This is something many struggle with, but something that can be nipped in the bud with the consistent practicing of restraint. If you work virtually and access Teams or Zoom, as soon as you are done with your day and you have completed your tasks, you need to ensure that you logout, and close the app entirely, and if you work physically, do not stay around to complete a task that you know will take several additional hours to complete, you have to let your superior know that you shall complete your task the next day and head out. It is clear cut and really that simple; now I am certain some of you are questioning what you are to do if you have deadlines to meet, but this is where my first suggestion of allocating you work load comes into effect, with great organisation you shan’t have any issues completing tasks and not having to feel obligated to stay on more than you need to.

Take holiday breaks sporadically

Most individuals tend to book their holidays from work in chunks, where holiday allocation is perhaps 22 days, many employees will take 11 days and another 11 days for the entire year, that means during their whole twelve months, they would have worked for long periods of months without a descent amount of rest. The ideal way to spread your holidays across the year and still benefit from them fully from them is to treat them like the seasons of the year and divide the days accordingly, where 5 or 6 days can be taken every quarter, that way you have a descent structure in place plus you do not get to go for more than 3 months working non stop.

If you are to apply these principals to your work regime, you are likely to see great improvement in the pressure that you feel within your work, as well as the level of stress it has on you. If you are struggling severely within your mental health and it is affecting your ability to carry out your work; it is highly advisable that you seek professional help, the principles within this article are only suggestions and are not to be taken on as certified medical help to assist with your mental health.