The endless barrage of messages on Slack at work is always frustrating.
"Let's get on a quick call" is never really a quick call.
And those Monday morning meetings make Mondays even more dreadful.
The point is: Work is not always fun and exciting for many.
However, while the lows in professional life are common, what's not common is if they come with mental health problems.
In fact, in India, 55 percent of professionals feel stressed. In general, 74 percent of Indians suffer from stress and 88 percent from anxiety.
These are scary numbers.
So, if you're noticing symptoms of depression (like stress) because of your work, it's important to take note of it and follow up with prompt measures.
Ignoring these signs can hurt the quality of your life, physical health and have other repercussions.
Here are five tips on how you can deal with work depression the right way:
Here are 9 tips to deal on how you can deal with depression at work
Take a break
Take a break from your work and do something else. It could be taking a walk, going to the gym, or even just watching TV. You can even consider taking a longer break of a week or up to a month. Talk to your manager or CEO, convey to them the mental health challenges you're facing, and request extended leave.
Talk to someone you trust
Talk about your feelings with someone who cares about you. This could be a friend, a family member, or even your boss, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Find solutions to problems
When you are depressed, it is easy to lose hope and feel like there is no way out of the situation that you are in. However, there are always solutions available if only we looked for them hard enough! Try coming up with one or two solutions yourself before talking to anyone else about them – this may help boost your confidence and increase your motivation levels when trying to solve the problem at hand.
Learn to say no
If you have a lot of work waiting for you, saying no is the best way to keep yourself sane. Your work will still be there when you come back from lunch, so there's no reason to stay at your desk for hours on end. You should also learn how to say no to other requests and deadlines if necessary. Saying no is a skill that will serve you well in life.
Get professional help
If you find yourself struggling with work depression, get help from a therapist or psychologist who specializes in dealing with these issues. A good therapist will be able to give you guidance, support, and advice on how to cope with work depression.
Manage your time better
Work depression can be caused by a lack of control over your own time. This can be as simple as having too much or too little work to do and not knowing how to manage it all properly. Start by taking control of your schedule and making sure that you're working at an appropriate pace. Get rid of any unnecessary tasks and make sure that you're not over-committing yourself – this will help you stay on top of things and not burn out.
Manage your stress levels
Stress levels can play a part in causing work depression. So, it's important to try and manage these stress levels if you are feeling overwhelmed by everything else going on in your life. Try taking regular breaks from work, and make sure that you take time off when things become difficult, either by traveling somewhere new or spending some quality time with friends and family members who care about you.
Tackle your workload
A high workload is one of the biggest causes of depression. If you're feeling overwhelmed, it's time to take a step back and reassess what you're doing. Do you really need to go through another round of revisions? Are those meetings really necessary? Be proactive in finding ways how you can lower your workload.
Find a work-life balance
Work-life balance is an important part of mental health, and it's something that many people neglect in their demanding careers. It can be difficult to find the right balance between work and personal life when you're under a lot of pressure at work, but it's worth making the effort as a way of reducing stress and improving your mental health throughout the day. No matter how quick you grow on the professional front, if you can't cling to your share of peace at the end of the day when you hit home- your mind will keep on hankering for more.
Final words
These are some of the practical ways of how you can manage work depression and beat the symptoms. If nothing helps or you want professional help, connect with a therapist. If you can sense self-withdrawal symptoms with you always in a cranky mood, problems popping up with people who matter, your work life is pushing you away from your immediate social circle - then just don't drown yourself further in that zone of dullness. You need to talk it out and if you shy away from family or friends in pouring things, then book a session with a certified psychologist offering work depression counseling services. You need to master the balancing act, address work-related mental health issues and with proper measures slowly engage in the process of throwing aside those dark patchy clouds from your sunshine-soaked life. Just say 'hi' to positivity and begin the journey of bouncing back to life!
With talk therapy and other measures, they can help you address work-related mental health issues and pave you to a healthier path.