Why mental wellbeing is an important part of career happiness
I wanted to do this post after I spoke to a few women who were feeling overwhelmed and unhappy at work and thus on the verge of burnout. Signs of burnout can manifest into stress and lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or show symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to the mental health foundation women are twice more likely to have an anxiety disorder.
Stress and Mental health
We are currently in a stress epidemic where 85% of UK Adults are experiencing some form of stress. Common causes of stress are due to Money, Work and Health. Money and Health can stop people from going for their main version of career happiness. The level of stress you have can have a direct effect on our mental health that we should be prioritising this but due to the pressures of life this doesn’t always happen. There is a link between stress and our mental health well being. When you don’t deal with stress this can manifest into anxiety and other health problems etc. If didn’t manage the symptoms and it can get worst.
Some of the same patterns I see which come up a lot are the following:
A lack of sleep or not sleeping at all otherwise known as insomnia.
Getting ill both physically and mentally and having to see your GP frequently or taking sick leave.
.Worrying about stability in a job or if you are facing a restructure or threat of redundancy and thus being concerned about money due to maternity and child care etc.
Exhibiting symptoms of anxiety and having panic attacks. Or showing signs of of depression and stopping the activities you use to love doing before.
Tips to help with your mental well being
A good mental mindset is about understanding what works for you? This may differ from person to person but some of the things I talk about in the video are below. I give some tips around how you should be looking after your mental health and well being.
Get support – Go and see your GP. If you feel your GP isn’t approachable to get a referral. Hire a private counsellor if you are going through anxiety and depression. You can find a local counsellor privately on the counselling directory here
Don’t ignore symptoms of depression and anxiety - Talk to someone impartial who won’t judge you. Some people may not get it. So, it’s important you talk to people who really understand you. Anger can come up as a result of depression. Be compassionate to others in this situation not judgmental. Seek out people who make you feel better not worse. Please also visit the Mind website to find out more about this here
Be self-compassionate to yourself – Don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go according to plan. If you manage to get up and do what you can this will help you remember you can move forward.
Exercise - Doing a form of exercise whether that’s walking everyday for 30 minutes, yoga or a 15-20 minute workout can really help you. It helps release endorphins otherwise known as the happy hormone which can help us with our moods and overall mental health.
Please also see some links below to support you with this
Guy meadows interview with Dr Chatterjee - https://drchatterjee.com/guymeadows/?fbclid=IwAR2uKnI3NI3zBV1BWupmv1QPh2MVaanM-56zr1PGHyZ85pgxhNWdj2xvSds
Happiful article - https://happiful.com/finding-career-confidence-somas-story/?fbclid=IwAR36cUKMD-cUo29Siveg3Uecwe9etuwWz431cYievJDJLTHZfyh-sdWtAnE
Episode 108 - 3 ways to cope with work related stress you can listen to this episode here - https://podcasts.apple.com/bg/podcast/episode-108-3-ways-to-cope-with-work-related-stress/id1450116167?i=1000540728001
Remember your mental health is a priority that is worth you paying attention to. Don’t ignore the any of the symptoms I mentioned in this blog post. Get support, give yourself time and be kind to yourself. If you want to be happy in your career remember you can. Just make sure you put yourself FIRST.