What To Do When Your Work Is Affecting Your Mental Health

Work should be a joy, in an ideal world. It should be something that you are able to get a lot out of, that is going to be nourishing for the soul and food for the mind. This is not always the case, of course, and there are many times when you are going to be working a job that is dead-end and does nothing for you. If you notice that your work is affecting your mental health negatively, it’s important to take steps, and there are lots of ways in which you might be able to do that.

Recognize The Signs

The first step is admitting that work is affecting you. And for that, you need to be able to recognize the signs as they appear. Some of the common early signs are things like burnout, the feeling that you are giving more than you have, irritability, anxiety before going into work, constant fatigue, or losing interest in things you usually enjoy. If you notice any of these or similar symptoms, it might be time to think about making a change of some kind, or simply stepping back for a while.

Set Boundaries

This is not always easy to do, depending on your work, but if you want to make sure that you are respecting yourself and looking after yourself, you might find it helpful to set some clearly defined boundaries. For instance, if you notice that you are becoming a victim of work creep – when you start getting emails at midnight, or you are encouraged to skip breaks – then the line between work and your personal life becomes unclear. That’s not healthy, and it means it’s time to set some boundaries: turn off notifications after work hours, take your lunch away from your desk, and use your vacation days.

Talk About It

Very often, when you are struggling, just talking about it is going to be a great and powerful way to ensure that you are going to get through it a lot more easily and swiftly. You might want to talk to a line manager, your partner, or you could consider getting some professional help in the form of some EAP counselling or something similar. However you do it and whoever you speak to, this is a really good way of helping yourself through the tough times, and it’s something you are going to find incredibly helpful.

Take Care Of Your Body

Often when work is like this, it can also mean that we fail to take proper care of our bodies. This is a difficult situation to be in, and it’s something that you are going to find really important to focus on. You’ll have to make sure that you are going to do all you can to look after your body effectively, and it’s something that is going to be well worth thinking about if you are keen on trying to look after your general wellbeing more effectively.