Ways to Improve Mental Health at Work

Mental health can be a sensitive topic, but it’s an important one to discuss. The statistics about mental health are alarming. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 450 million people of all ages suffer from some kind of mental health condition each year. The National Institute of Mental Health also reports that approximately one-fifth of the people in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. With so many people experiencing mental health issues, it’s important for workplaces to promote good mental health for employees.

A healthy workplace is one that is conducive to the mental well-being of its employees. Yet, the idea of a healthy workplace is not very common today. Many employers are still operating on the notion that a healthy workplace is one whose employees produce more and give their heart and soul to the company. So to combat this, we need to know ways to improve our mental health at work.

You can improve your mental health at work by (1) starting your day better, (2) making meaningful connections, (3) separating work and home, (4) and focusing on what’s in your control.

I will go into these more in detail later. But first, let’s learn more about mental health and stress in the workplace.

Why Is Mental Health Important at Work?

With all the focus on physical health and work conditions, it is easy to forget the mental health of employees. Indeed, mental health is an equally important component of a person’s overall health and wellness. 

Mental health refers to how a person thinks, feels, and acts as well as how he/she functions in society. Mental health is an important part of a person’s health and wellness. It is often referred to as a state of well-being in which an individual is able to use his/her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.

A person’s mental health is directly related to their ability to perform physically. There are several issues that are often associated with poor mental health at work. These include: absenteeism, lost productivity, high medical costs, high turnover and even legal issues. All of these can contribute to a poor workplace experience for the individual and for the organization as a whole.

What Are Some Causes of Stress in the Workplace?

There are many factors that can contribute to stress in the workplace, from workload to work-life balance. The first step to reducing stress at work is to understand the causes so that they can be addressed and you can recognize what triggers you personally

Some common causes of stress in the workplace are:

• Too much work 
• Lack of work  
• Low pay
• Work not challenging enough  
• Not enough control over the work  
• Not enough cooperation
• Unclear or conflicting goals
• Lack of support from management  
• Conflict with co-workers  
• Conflict with supervisors
• Too much change

There are so many things that can cause stress at work and it also depends a lot on the type of job you do.

What Are the Effects of Stress in the Workplace?

It is estimated that about 90 percent of all health problems are stress-related. Being overly stressed at work can lead to many issues such as depression, anxiety, heart problems, and weight gain. The sad thing is, most people will not even realize that they are suffering from all these health problems because they have become so used to them.

The effects of stress at work are not always obvious. Some of the most common effects of stress at work include: Increased heart rate and blood pressure, lack of concentration, tension headaches, trouble swallowing, muscle aches and pains, and even ulcers. Stress is extremely hard on your body and can cause you to make mistakes at work that you otherwise wouldn’t. It is also hard on your personal life. Stress is one of the leading causes of heart disease because it can cause you to have high blood pressure and cholesterol. 

Not only is stress at work a problem for you, it’s also a problem for your employer. Stress is one of the leading causes of employee turnover. Stress leads to people getting sick and eventually quitting their job. It can also lead to employees not showing up for work. Stress can also lead to decreased productivity at work. If you are constantly stressed at work, it will be hard to concentrate on your job and you will probably make mistakes that you wouldn’t have made if you weren’t stressed.

What Are Some Ways to Improve Mental Health at Work?

Now that we know a little about stress and what it does, how can we improve mental health at work?

1) Start Your Day Better

They say that your morning sets the mood for the rest of your day, and that when you start out bad, it’s very likely that the rest of the day will be bad. Many of us wonder why our workday is bad but we roll out of bed 30 min before we have to leave, stare at our phone, and eat a rushed, unhealthy breakfast or no breakfast at all. If the start of your day is full of stress, you will see more stressful things throughout the day.

Successful, happy people have planned and powerful mornings. You can read more about how to build a powerful morning routine here. But the first step is to get up earlier and that may mean going to bed earlier too. So make sure you are getting enough sleep to wake up when you need to to be well-rested. You want to have enough time to at least not be rushed in the morning. Just giving yourself enough time to get ready and have a good breakfast high in protein and fiber will make a big difference on its own.

Once you do that, you can try things like reading, meditation, music, or exercise. These are things that can get you into a powerful state of mind and influence your thoughts in a positive way. This can create a domino effect for your thoughts throughout the day, allowing you to respond better to situations at work.

So make sure that you are ready for work before you go. That will help the day go smoother with less stress and anger.

2) Make Meaningful Connections

It is hard to work at a job if you hate your coworkers or your clients, and it’s even harder if you hate both. In the book Anatomy of Peace, it discusses how most conflict is caused by us seeing others as objects or obstructions in our lives rather than other humans like us. We are often egocentric and see everyone else as just an annoyance in our path. This causes you to complain constantly which just brings more negativity into your day.

Your job will be much more tolerable if you can start to see others as people and try to have real conversations with them. Try to make friends at work and take interest in co-workers’ lives. If you work with clients, do the same with them. Don’t think of them as just another face or phone call. Make an effort to connect. Positive connections are very helpful in reducing stress and improving mental health. 

You will find that you have more defenses for the stressors at work when you have established a social network that can support you. This just makes your job more enjoyable as well.

3) Separate Work and Home

Separating work and home has become more difficult with the increased popularity of remote work and always has been for those that run businesses. It is easy to start to blur the lines between work and home life but that can quickly become detrimental to yourself and to your family if you have one.

Your mind needs time to rest and recharge. This is described as “sharpening the saw” in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. A dull saw won’t cut down a tree nor will a dull mind perform well at work or life. So think of what you can do to create a separation so that you can have time to enjoy life and focus on your family. If you work from home, try to have a dedicated office space or computer location away from other areas of the house. Make that your work space so that when you leave the space, the work is done. 

You may need to silence texts or emails or create boundaries with your job or clients so that they understand that you may not be available 24/7. 

Many times we overwork because we choose to. So choose to prioritize yourself and remember what you are working for.

4) Focus On What’s in Your Control

This is a big one because unless you are the CEO, there are many many things that are out of your control at work. And not being in control creates stress and frustration because your work affects your day and life very much. And even if you are the CEO or run your own small business, there are still many things out of your control such as certain market shifts, economic crashes, pandemics, losing clients, etc.

It can be very frustrating to fight against something you can’t change or control.

So don’t.

Learn what is in your control and excel at that. Acceptance that there are things out of your control that happen to you is an important step. However, this is not to diminish the importance of taking responsibility for your life. There are many things that you can influence and are in your control so always do what you can. But if you do all you can and don’t achieve the result that you are seeking, move on and keep going.

If you have to sell a product that barely works because the engineers designed it badly, that isn’t really something you can control as a sales rep, for example. You still have to sell it the best you can.

As a rule of thumb, if all you are able to do about something is complain about it, it is probably one of those things that is out of your control and just causing you anger and frustration by complaining about it. 

And this creates worse performance in other areas and a vicious downward cycle.

So do what you can and don’t dwell on what you can’t. Move on and create the best circumstances you can for yourself.

Conclusion

Workplace stress is a growing concern and the effects are wide-ranging. By doing what you can for yourself, you can beat work stress or at least make it more manageable. Do the best you can to make the best out of each situation. There are also times that you may need to leave certain jobs or environments that may be toxic for your health. Just remember to take care of yourself and to remember that you are working so that you can pay your bills and have what you want, not to be stressed and unhealthy.

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