For many adults, work is a major part of our lives. It can be where we spend the majority of our day and it can have a huge impact on our mental health. It can be good for our mental health, giving us a sense of purpose, boosting our self-worth, and providing opportunities to connect with others.
But it can also be a source of stress and anxiety and contribute to developing or worsening mental health problems.
15% of UK workers are estimated to have an existing mental health condition1
875,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 2022/232
5th most common reason for sickness absence in 2022 was mental health3
Dr Erica De Lange, our Regional Director of Psychology Services (South), has provided some advice for making sure we support, and boost, our mental health at work.
1. Talk about your feelings
Although it can sometimes feel uncomfortable or put us out of our comfort zones, it is important to open up and share any difficulties you may be experiencing with colleagues you trust. Remember, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. It is a sign of strength, not weakness and is a first step in overcoming these feelings.
It helps you to take charge of your wellbeing and better enables you to access the support you might need for maintaining your mental health.
You may want to think about what you want to disclose, to whom, and when is a good time and place to do this.
Being transparent and open, particularly with your line manager, gives them the opportunity to put support structures in place for you.
We all need someone to talk to and Cygnet’s Employee Assistant Programme (EAP) also provides you with access to mental health support should you experience difficulties like stress or anxiety.
2. Set Healthy Boundaries
Overcommitting can be a big problem in our work life as we try to please too many people at once. Saying no can seem risky. We worry about offending others, damaging relationships, or disappointing expectations.
Yet saying no can create more mental health stability by helping with self-care and build your self-esteem and confidence by setting boundaries.
As human beings we don’t like to disappoint or burden others but cramming our schedules can lead to us feeling overstretched and ultimately, stressed and burnt out. Don’t spread yourself too thing, prioritise your own wellbeing.
Try saying: “I don’t want to say yes and then let you down, so it’s a no this time,” if we need to let people down politely.
3. Keep Active
Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and generally feel better. It is one of the best ways for improving your wellbeing. Exercising doesn’t just mean doing sport or going to the gym. Try to make physical activity that you enjoy a part of your day.
If you work in an office it can make a huge difference to get out for a walk or do a class at lunchtime, or to build in exercise before or after work to ease you into the day or create a space between work time and personal time.
Exercise and getting fresh air releases endorphins which will make you feel happier and healthier.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
Many of us have a tendency to be overly ambitious with our work targets and are left feeling unhappy when they can’t fulfil them.
Setting goals for ourselves is definitely a good thing to better ourselves, but make sure they are things you can achieve or earn some success with and measure achievable goals.
Remember to slow down and make some time for yourself.
Try to start every day with a positive thought, saying, memory, gratitude or quote that sets you up for the best possible day. Don’t forget to keep reminding yourself of it throughout the day too.
5. Eat properly
What we put in our bodies can make a huge difference to our mood. It can be hard to keep up a healthy pattern of eating at work, particularly when we are overly busy. Regular meals, plus plenty of water, are ideal.
Try and plan for mealtimes and choose healthy options when buying lunch. Try and get away from your desk to eat if you are office-based. For busy times, or times when you are feeling low or stressed, try reducing or giving up caffeine and refined sugar. Make sure there is a ready supply of fruit/vegetables and snacks like nuts or trail mix that provides ready nutrients.
When feeling down, you’re more likely to eat poorly, and either eat too much or too little. Having a varied, balanced diet can work wonders to improve your mood and even your productivity levels.
Apart from being very unhealthy, sugar crashes cause tiredness and make you crave food unnecessarily. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
6. Take a Break
A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. It could be a five-minute pause from what you are doing, a book or podcast during the commute, a half-hour lunch break at work, or a weekend exploring somewhere new. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Give yourself some ‘me time’.
Sleep is essential to our mental health. Listen to your body. Without good sleep, our mental health suffers and our concentration goes downhill. National Sleep Foundation guidelines advise that healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health and lead to you feeling irritable, anxious and worried.
Switching phones and tablets off at least 90 minutes before you go to bed can help you to relax, feel less anxious and get a good night’s sleep.
When we are stressed, it can seem even harder to take the breaks we are entitled to – when we need them most. Try and plan periods of leave for the year so that you always have a break to look forward to. When you are on leave or at home, resist the temptation to check in with work. If you find that you can’t break away, it may be a sign that you should re-examine workload to manage your stress.
7. Do something you’re good at
Enjoying yourself can help beat stress. Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it, and achieving something boosts your self-esteem.
Concentrating on a hobby, like gardening, Sudoku or crafts, can help you forget your worries for a while and can change your mood. When you feel stressed, it can be easy to forget your talents or draw your focus to your anxiety and stress. Remember to focus on your strengths and celebrate your successes. If possible, you should plan your workload to include tasks you know you are good at, so as to alternate things you are doing well and those tasks you know will be harder or more stressful.
At work, you may have a hobby you’d like to share or join in with colleagues – a book group perhaps. Getting creative or learning a new skill is an ideal way to gain a sense of achievement and boost your confidence. There are plenty of hobbies you can take up indoors. Learn how to paint or cook, or try writing a journal. When you tap into your creativity, studies show that you reduce your stress levels and experience fewer symptoms of depression.
8. Manage relationships
Relationships are key to our mental health. Working in a supportive team is hugely important for our mental health at work. We don’t always have a choice about who we work with, and if we don’t get on with colleagues, it can create tension. It may be that you need to practise more self-care at these times, but you may also need to address difficulties.
Work politics can be a real challenge when we have mental health problems. It can be helpful to find a mentor or a small group of trusted colleagues with whom you can discuss feelings about work – to sense check and help you work through challenges.
A work-life balance is so important, make sure you continue to prioritise a social life and friendships outside of work.
As we enter winter and poor weather, it can make it very tempting to stay home all day when we are off work. But instead of giving in to staying in, it’s worth finding ways of staying active and sociable. It is really important to have face to face social interactions with our friends, family and colleagues so that we feel connected and supported by each other.
9. Ask for Help
None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things don’t go to plan. Always speak up and reach out to your line manager if you feel further support is needed.
Our Employee Assistance Programme provides confidential and free access to an advisory support service for you and your family including 24/7 personal, legal and financial information. Our EAP can help you with financial and legal worries, relationship advice, medical information and counselling.
TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) is a peer support system to help our staff who have experienced a traumatic or potentially traumatic event in the workplace.
Our TRiM practitioners are non-medical members of Cygnet staff who have had specific training allowing them to understand the effects that traumatic events can have on people.
In the immediate hours and days following a traumatic event, our TRiM practitioners will provide peer support to all those who may have been involved or affected by an incident.
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They will confidentially assess each individual to see if they need help and where necessary signpost additional professional support. They also follow-up four to six weeks later to see if further help is needed.
10. Support each other
We should all be an advocate of colleagues looking out for each other. So often it’s the colleagues who work with you day in and day out that can pick up on subtle changes in mood and behaviour, and it’s so important to get the word out there so everyone knows that there is a pathway to follow if you spot something in a colleague that has you concerned for their welfare.
We should all be there to listen, to show compassion. Just knowing that someone cares enough to say, ‘Hey, I’ve noticed you’re not yourself lately, are you ok? can make that first hurdle of reaching out so much easier.
If you are struggling, you don’t have to go through it alone. Do reach out as support is there.
References
1Stevenson, D., & Farmer, P. (2017). Thriving at Work: A Review of Mental Health and Employers
2Health and Safety Executive. (2023). Health and safety at work: Summary statistics for Great Britain 2023
3Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 26 April 2023, ONS website, article, Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2022