Do you feel as though you are dealing with constant anxiety and stress in the workplace?
If so, then I would suggest this isn’t good for your mental health at all. In fact, it could be a major indicator that you need to make a change sooner rather than later. You should of course weigh up your options, can you find something better? Do you have enough saved up to walk away?
These are all of course sensible questions one should ask when assessing the situation. But, I’m here to tell you, if you find yourself prioritizing your job over your health, burnout is inevitable or even worse, a health scare.
Your working environment can have a huge impact on your mental health, and, equally, your mental health can have a domino effect on your job and quality of your work. According to The Mental Health Foundation, 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace (14.7%). This is a pretty high percentage which indicates to me this problem is a common issue for us all.
Everybody deserves to have peace of mind in their place of work. But if you find yourself leaving the workplace with a feeling of being overwhelmed all the time and worrying about work-related tasks, this can mean that your job is taking its toll on your mental health. As someone who has experienced burnout, here are a few signs to look out for along with a few ways you can make changes to avoid causing yourself any further harm.
Emotional Burnout
Do you feel drained and exhausted, even if you feel as though you slept well?
Emotional exhaustion can happen when you are facing prolonged exposure to stress levels. If you feel depleted or you are lacking motivation, then this can be a sign that you need to change jobs. This is especially the case if it takes a toll on your personal life and relationships. If you want to do this, I would suggest you request a mental health day or taking unpaid time off to assess your options. Take time to rest firstly, and then ask yourself, what would make this situation any better?
Is it a new job, a new career path, a change of hours? Really assess the source of your stress and see if you can pivot. I’ve known many people in their mid-life and early thirties who have changed their career path. For you, it may be as simple as pivoting from office work to the service industry, for example, the ambulance service helping patients, or volunteering for homeless charities or even teaching children.
Source: Pexels
Physical Symptoms
Prolonged exposure to a very stressful working environment can manifest in a lot of different ways. If you often experience symptoms of headaches or even insomnia and stomach ache, then this is a major sign that your job could be impacting your health. Pay special attention to your body’s signals and what they could be telling you. No job is worth giving up your physical and emotional health for, so try and keep this in mind if you can as it could make a major difference to the way that you feel and how you react to certain situations.
Lack of Balance
Maintaining a good work-life balance is critical when it comes to your mental health. If your career leaves you with very little time or even energy for anything outside of work or you are not spending time with your loved ones then this is a major sign that your job is impacting your personal life. It may be that it is also affecting your mental health and well-being too. If you want to help yourself here then one thing you need to do is make sure that you engage in self-care. Take the time to focus on how you can help yourself and what you can do to benefit yourself. If you can do this then you will soon find that it becomes easier for you to get the result you need out of your emotional well-being and your career as a whole.
So as you can see, these are some of the common signs that your job is impacting your mental health.
Is it time for you to leave your position today?
If so then take your time picking the type of job that would feel the happiest in so you can make a positive change.
