Blog - The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association

Mental Health in the Workplace: Coping with Depression and Anxiety

Written by Brittany George | Aug 15, 2019 1:32:09 AM

Unfortunately, anxiety and depression are something hard to control once they develop.

At the same time, many people claim that they feel anxiety at least once or twice in a month, especially when deadlines approach. Unfortunately, we have many insecurities to think about, and most of them only add up to our stress. Once accumulated, people either burn out or quickly slim into depression.

The good news is that there is a way to deal with anxiety and depression. However, you need to be self-aware and observe any changes that workplace stress triggers in you.

Here are several tips on how to tackle work anxiety and prevent depression caused by workplace stress:

Be Alert

Fortunately, mental health in the workplace is often discussed now. People are aware that some extremes at work can really end badly. There are many articles available online that tell more about the signs of the problem, symptoms of depression and anxiety, changes in behaviour. Knowing this will help you be in control of your own feelings and detect the problem before it gets acute.

Define Your Enemies

If there is something that makes you upset about your work, you need to address this. Especially if it occurs on a daily basis. Even the smallest detail can end up being a real problem. Whether this is a person or a task, you need to find a way to make peace with them. Go to Human Resources and try to find a resolution together. Emotional distress is something HR departments strive to deal with. It directly affects overall performance.

Delegate Your Tasks

If you are a working student, a good idea is to ease your burden. Sometimes deadlines at work coincide with deadlines in colleges, and this puts extra stress on you. If you delegate your school paperwork to custom writing essay service, you will feel relieved at least about your academic performance.

Plan Your Day

If you find it hard to complete all assignments on time, and this adds stress on you, try improving your time management skills. Create a to-do list that will start from the most difficult assignments in terms of priority. This will help you stay on track. Moreover, if you start with the most difficult assignments first, you are likely to finish all assignments earlier or on time.

Take a Break

This is obviously the best advice for every worker. No matter whether you experience any symptoms of upcoming mental problem, for example, feel difficulty communicating with coworkers or get slow in completing daily tasks, taking a break is genius advice. Make it a rule: 5-minute break every 25 minutes of active work time. You will be surprised how much you can complete in 25 minutes and how refreshing 5-minute break will be.

Drink Enough Water

Let’s state it in medical terms: hydrate yourself. If your body does not get enough water, the system breaks. You cannot even imagine how your success at work depends on your basic needs, with one of them being drink and food. Take care of your body, and it will serve you well throughout all your projects and tasks.

Avoid Distractions

Everything that can distract you too much from getting things done should be eliminated. It refers to social media and website browsing too. Try to refrain from workplace gossip and do not listen to your coworkers’ complaints. Even though you do not take it seriously, it may play badly with your sub-conscience. Do not talk too much too. Your words are your resources, so do not waste them.

Set Small Goals and Reward Yourself

Depression in the workplace often comes from a lack of encouragement. Depressed people usually feel that they did everything in vain since no one notices their efforts. You can affect this by setting small goals and praising yourself for their achievement. Add extra break, go for a walk, watch a short video, or eat something delicious. It all will save you from being upset or depressed at the end of the day.

Life is getting faster, and it reflects on our ability to cope with everyday challenges that come in significant numbers. All people have become multitaskers, even those who did not have this skill before. However, such workload and high expectations lead people to emotional distress that can end up badly. Thus, you need to evaluate yourself and identify a problem before it actually develops into something more serious and dangerous. If you manage to handle your emotions and arrange your routine, anxiety, and depression will be nothing but words to you.

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sandra Larson.