Everyone has experienced the influence of mental health on their wellbeing and the quality of their work. What affects our mental health most is our private life combined with work pressure. We can’t leave personal troubles at the door when entering the office, so it always reflects on our work. The thing is that mental health is just as important as physical health.
In this respect, poor mental health results in misunderstandings with colleagues, quarrels with customers, and disability to deal with the workload. Whereas, good mental health seems to improve relationships with others and increases chances to succeed. Simply put, mental health is incredibly important. Let’s try to find out the impact of mental health on your career.
Symptoms of mental health worsening
It’s worth defining the cause for alarm before moving on to the outcomes of it. Depression, stress, and other mental disorders frequently go unnoticed. People feel some changes—especially in their communication and behavior—but can’t say for sure what’s happening.
In such cases, pay attention to your mood. Are you happy, delighted, tired, or annoyed most of the time? The way you interact with others is important as well. Are you in good relationships with your colleagues? Next, look at how you eat and sleep. Did your habits change? Do you have insomnia or can’t get out of bed? Reduced concentration, inability to stop thinking about the job, and anxiety are other warning signs. Any of those triggers may be a reason to improve your mental health.
Your reputation depends on your health too
We’ve already mentioned mental health importance for harmonious relationships with others. The way you feel influences the way you support your arguments and behave. When you’re down, your answers are short and sharp, and it’s so hard to communicate with moody people! Can you imagine your career flourishing with such a repulsive way of communication? Unfortunately, that’s impossible. Remember to control your actions, especially in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, it could lead to awkwardness within the team and troubles with management.
The way you feel is important for productivity
What is productivity? It’s the level of motivation and the ability to handle work effectively. Mental health is in charge of how motivated you are. It controls your mood and desire to get the job done, which is also very important.
Imagine two workers. The first one is Peter, and he is in high spirits while his colleague Linda has no desire to smile and perform her duties. It’s obvious that Peter will deal with a larger number of tasks since his attitude is positive. On the other hand, Linda will probably not do any task with pleasure or satisfaction; she will do them just because they must be done. Her productivity may suddenly plunge at a drastic rate.
Workers like Linda take more days off, which is quite harmful to the team’s productivity and has a noticeable impact on the company’s success. Physicians increasingly document that stress and depression are among the most frequent reasons why workers take days off. If you happen to be too stressed or depressed, use one of the following methods to cope with these issues.
Try meditation
Meditation is one of the most common and effective ways to stay mentally healthy, reduce stress levels, and relax. Try to spend at least 15 minutes per day meditating. Go deep into your thoughts and feelings, and take a deep breath. Make sure nobody distracts you. Relaxing music might be helpful as well.
Try therapy
Depression is more than just feeling down. It’s a real illness that influences the brain’s chemical levels. Find a good therapist and tell them what worries you have. Sometimes all you need to do is talk to someone who’s ready and willing to listen to you. The statistics say that only two out of five people with mood disorders or anxiety consult a therapist at the early stages. So if you feel that you need support and professional help, there is nothing wrong with it — get it.
Here is how your state affects your concentration
Good concentration is another noteworthy feature of character that makes you succeed at work. Being focused means that you can work for a long time without reacting to any distractions. It means that your phone, social media, overly talkative colleagues, and thoughts don’t sway your attention, and you can go on working. While focused, you accurately and effectively deal with paperwork or those tasks that include multiple details. At the same time, an unfocused employee makes more mistakes, can’t distinguish between the important and irrelevant task, and fails to deal with the amount of work required.
What to do when work becomes your trigger
Most people hate something about their work — each of us probably hears one or more of these observations from at least one source almost every day. It’s not a rarity to complain about long hours of work, a rude manager, small salary, etc. However, we frequently misinterpret temporary work burnout as a total loss of interest in the profession, which also may be caused by mental disorders. Don’t make a rash decision to leave the job when you are down. Take some time off, relax, and calm down. Explain to your employer why you need it. However, working at a job you really hate is even more deteriorating for your health than just being tired of it. Some time off is probably still the best option in either case.
Anger-related issues that harm your career
Uncontrolled anger is another common mental disorder today. It is essential to understand the symptoms of anger, its causes, and consequences if you suspect that you or someone around you is suffering from the disorder. Sudden outbursts of emotions may detrimentally affect your career and, in some cases, lead to dismissal. In addition, such eruptions frequently result in conflicts with colleagues and clients. The most common triggers of emotional outbursts are dissatisfaction with life and career, personal problems, and overworking. So, if you notice that you get too emotional at work, it might be a good reason to take care of your mental health, go on vacation, or consult a therapist.
Mental health at work: problem-solving
There is no job in the world with no problems. Everyone can take advantage of problem-solving skills since we all face issues on a daily basis. Some of them are obviously harder or more difficult than others.
How does your mental health impact problem-solving skills? First, you have to be objective and calm when taking control of a stressful situation. Second, you have to be observant to notice any tiny details that might help solve a problem. Third, it’s mental health that gives you the willingness and motivation to deal with the difficulties.
Hopefully, you’re doing well, and your mental health is great. If not, I hope this article has helped you understand the impact of mental health on career development and also provided good insight. Remember to try and relax, enjoy what you are doing, exercise regularly, eat healthy, and find peace in knowing that everything will be alright.
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Author: Alice Berg
Alice Berg is a blogger and a career advisor at Skillroads, who helps people to find their own way in life, gives career advice and guidance, helps young people to prepare for their careers. You can find Alice on Twitter and Medium.