If you’re struggling with your mental health and it’s affecting your work, here are some things you can do…
The modern workplace can be fast-paced, tiring, and emotionally demanding, especially for young people who may be navigating the working world for the first time. If you have any kind of mental health difficulties, it can become even more challenging.
Mental health issues, from bereavement or trauma through to depression, anxiety, and other diagnosed mental illnesses, can have a serious impact on your performance at work. Today, we wanted to look at what you can do about it if this happens to you.
Acknowledge the Problem
No mental health struggle has ever been cured by pretending it doesn’t exist. The first step is to acknowledge what’s happening, even if only to yourself. Trying to power through or “fake it ‘til you make it” is likely to lead to burnout, exhaustion, and worsening mental health in the long run.
Having mental health challenges isn’t a weakness. It does not make you fragile, lazy, or a bad employee. It is something that huge numbers of people will experience at some point in their lives and, if it is impacting your work, that is incredibly normal and understandable.
Speak to Someone You Trust at Work
Ideally, this would be your boss or a suitable mentor. If not, however, then speaking to someone in HR, another senior member of staff you trust, or even a sympathetic co-worker is better than nothing.
If they are supportive, looping in your boss can help to give context to any ways that your performance at work might have changed. You don’t have to go into details about what is causing your mental health struggles if you don’t want to. A good boss should not pry or expect you to share more than you feel comfortable with. If you want to, you can also share how you are working to address the problem.
Here’s one example of a script you can use or adapt for your own purposes, if you like: “I just wanted to let you know I’m dealing with some mental health struggles connected to a recent bereavement. I’m aware they’re affecting my work and I wanted to make you aware in case you were wondering what’s going on. I’ve seen my doctor and am working on some coping strategies while I wait for counselling.”
Remember that a mental health condition can count as a disability under UK law. This means that it is illegal for your employer to discriminate against you if you disclose your mental health status to them.
Contact Your EAP
An EAP, or Employee Assistance Programme, is a free and confidential service designed to help employees with all kinds of issues they may be facing both at and outside of work. EAPs provide advice, a listening ear, and signposting to appropriate services. They can also offer professional support, such as therapy or counselling, for mental health issues.
Ask your boss or check your employee handbook to see if your workplace has an EAP. If not, you can still ask if any kind of mental health support is available through your organisation as some workplaces have different systems in place.
See a Doctor or Therapist
You do not have to struggle through mental health issues alone. There is no shame in seeking professional support–in fact, it is one of the best things you can do!
Start by seeing your GP. They will be able to assess your symptoms, prescribe medication if appropriate, and refer you to any other services such as counselling that might be able to help. There can be a waiting list for these services so, if you can afford it, paying to see a counsellor or therapist privately can speed up the process.
Consider Taking Some Time Off
If you need some time off work to deal with your mental health, your doctor will need to sign you off with something called a “fit note” (previously known as a “sick note.”) This will give you some time away from work to start recovering, during which you’ll be paid Statutory Sick Pay. In some cases, you might be able to do a “phased return to work”, starting back on fewer hours and slowly returning to your previous schedule as your health improves.
Again, it is illegal for your employer to discriminate against you for taking time off to deal with a health issue, including a mental health issue.
Take Care of Yourself
Professional support is vital in managing mental health problems, but so is self-care. By taking good care of yourself, you can improve your overall wellbeing and reduce the extent to which your mental health negatively affects your work.
Self-care for mental health might include:
- Making sure that you eat a balanced diet, get some exercise, and get plenty of sleep
- Remembering to take any medication as directed and attend appointments with your doctor or therapist
- Leaving work at work (for example, switching off your work phone in the evenings and not answering emails outside of working hours)
- Making the time to do things that nourish you mentally, such as hobbies and interests
- Spending time with loved ones who make you feel good about yourself
- Taking steps to change or mitigate stressful situations that are within your power (for example, if you are worried about debt this might include getting some financial advice)
- Avoiding negative self-talk and speaking kindly to yourself
Practice In-the-Moment Coping Strategies
When you have any kind of mental health struggle, some days–and even some hours–will be worse than others. This is normal. You can help yourself to get through the difficult days by cultivating coping strategies that you can use in the moment to de-escalate your emotions. This can be particularly useful at work, especially at times when you really need to focus and complete a task.
Some examples of coping strategies might include:
- Pausing and counting slowly to ten before reacting to your emotions
- Taking a few deep breaths until your nervous system has calmed down
- Stepping away from your desk to decompress in a quiet room
- Going outside to get some fresh air or take a short walk
- Making and drinking a cup of tea or coffee
- Writing down how you feel
- Mentally envisioning putting the difficult feelings in a box and closing the lid, which you can open and deal with later
Not all of these strategies will work for everyone, and you may have your own that you prefer. Anything that works for you is fine!
Talk to Your Boss About Adjustments
If you have any kind of health condition that could be considered a disability, including many mental health issues, your employer is obligated to work with you to provide reasonable adjustments that enable you to do your job.
Exactly what these adjustments look like will depend on your job and your unique needs. They might include reduced hours, a flexible schedule, the ability to work from home sometimes, a quiet space to decompress when necessary, or changes in the ways that work is allocated within your team.
If you have an idea of what adjustments might help you, talk to your boss. They may not be able to give you everything you ask for, depending on business needs, but they should work with you to come up with a solution that works for everyone involved.
Give Yourself a Break
Mental health issues are, unfortunately, still often treated as a taboo. However, they are just as real as physical health conditions and nothing to be ashamed of. So give yourself a break and be kind to yourself!
