Jobs are demanding. So much time is spent working, and your job might ask a lot of you physically, mentally, or both. Issues and challenges at work can lead to high levels of stress while making it hard to relax, even when you are not on the job. Tight deadlines, conflicts with coworkers or supervisors, and workloads that are too big for any one person to handle effectively can amp up your stress levels.
Those higher levels of stress can have a negative effect on your mental health. As a result, it is important to be intentional about managing stress at work so that your job does not contribute to a mental health disorder or undermine your efforts to improve your mental wellbeing.
Sometimes it can seem as though you do not really have any control over how stressful your job is. After all, your boss sets the rules and hands out the assignments. Your coworkers might be a source of stress, too, especially if you all have different ideas about how the work should be done. Working long hours can also be an ongoing source of stress.
So, what can you do to protect your mental health at work? We are glad you asked.
Defining Your Relationship to Your Work
For many, many people, a job becomes an identity. That is perhaps to be expected given that the first question many people ask when they meet someone new is, “So, what do you do?” When someone asks that question, we all understand they are inquiring about a person’s job. No one answers that question by listing their hobbies.
Given this shared understanding, it is easy to understand how so many folks come to see themselves almost entirely through the lens of their job. Maybe you tend to define yourself that way. If so, we might suggest trying to reframe your relationship to your work in an effort to reduce your stress levels.
What would that entail? Well, one approach would be to think carefully about what you value in your life. Then consider how your job does—or does not—help you focus on those values. If you can shift your focus from workaday issues to your values, you may find that you feel less stressed at work.
Note that we are not suggesting that you should stop being diligent at your job. Instead, we are suggesting that if you can shift your focus to your values, you can lessen the stress you experience over challenges on the job.
Setting Some Boundaries at Work
In a perfect world, you, your boss, and your coworkers could come together to set some boundaries around work—and then stick to those boundaries. Doing so could lead to more camaraderie on the team and less stress across the board. Unfortunately, that might not always be feasible for any number of reasons—including a boss who is a real taskmaster. If you cannot get a shared understanding of boundaries in the workplace, you may well need to set some boundaries for yourself.
Those boundaries might include committing to taking a real lunch break each day, putting your work aside on the weekends except in special circumstances, choosing to use your vacation time, and so on. If you find yourself answering emails at midnight or surviving on snacks and caffeine during the workday or engaging in any other unhealthy habits at work, you need to give yourself permission to make a change.
Engaging in Stress-Reducing Practices Outside Work
There will always be work-related stress—and plenty of other kinds of stress, too. That means it is a good idea to build some stress reduction practices into your schedule.
Those practices might include mindfulness or yoga. They might include restful sleep and regular exercise. They might include an engaging hobby and regular time spent with good friends. They might include enjoying the arts or rooting for your team. They might include all of those things and more. Finding—and scheduling—the activities that give you the opportunity to relax, recharge, and regain perspective is a great way to stay on top of the stress in your life.
Our Work Is All About Helping You
At Peak View Behavioral Health—located in Colorado Springs, Colorado—we are always hard at work helping the individuals we serve make and maintain improvements to their mental health. We are ready and able to help you address disorders like depression, panic, and anxiety, and problems stemming from traumatic experiences.
If you are dealing with mental health challenges, we can help you renew the necessary balance in your life so that you can experience a renewed sense of hope. Our personalized treatment programs are built around evidence-based practices and supported by our high levels of expertise and years of experience. You can count on our spirit of empathy—which means you will never encounter judgment when you pursue help for your mental health at Peak View Behavioral Health.
Helping you improve your mental health—and therefore your life—is work we are honored to do. When you are ready to make a change for the better, we are ready to support your efforts.
