In today’s world, we all want to be fast in the race of success and achievements. Gone are the days when having a good home to come back to at the end of the day and relaxing with family were the highlights of the day. Nowadays, everyone is running in a rat race and nobody is ready to lose. The never ending meetings, constant deadlines and sky-high expectations have become our normal. With the change in lifestyle, the personal and family time are getting less and less while we give more and more time to work and career. While on one hand it’s extremely important to give time to career but on the other it’s also becomes necessary to strike the work-life balance to lead a happy life. Stress has now become a part of our lives but not all of it is bad. Yes, you read it right. There is something called the “good stress”. In fact, many researches prove that good stress actually improves the efficiency of a person at the workplace. According to a research by Firdaus Dhabhar, of Stanford Center on Stress & Health, “Most of us have come to think that stress is bad for us, but it is really part of our fundamental survival system. Stress can be harmful and dampen the immune response if it is chronic or ongoing. But short-term stress-the “fight-or-flight” response-may actually be beneficial.”
So all the tension that you take to meet the targets isn’t all bad. The ever going-on competition with the colleague isn’t so bad. It actually ensures that you meet the deadlines and achieve those targets. But then the things tend to escalate. You find it hard to handle the pressure. It doesn’t let you sleep at night and hinders your appetite. Your bad mood doesn’t end when you reach the home and even the family suffers, further ruining not just your professional but also your personal bonds.
Some of the problem is solved when you realise that something is wrong in the early stages of stress so that the person isn’t prone to depression. Despite the fact that it’s a mental condition, there are certain
physical symptoms through which can help you to recognize it when stress isn’t good. Anxiousness, irritation, lack of confidence, constant state of fatigue, insomnia, headaches, upset stomach muscles
tensions, alcohol abuse and loss of sex drive can be few of such symptoms.
So if you have been experiencing such things in your life and have been so far ignoring them, its high time you think hard about this. It becomes extremely necessary for the employees as well as the
employers to ensure that the workforce is healthy both mentally and physically. It has been established through hundreds of researches that a happy and satisfied employee is a necessity for the success of any
company. Now, the questions that might arise is how to beat this stress and depression at the workplace.
Worry not. We are here for you. Here are some ways by which you can not only beat stress and depression at the workplace but ensure your mental health is top-notch.
- Physical Health
We’ve been reading since ages that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. But almost all of us has compromised with my physical health to meet our professional expectations at one point of time or
another. So let’s start by changing it. Follow a balanced diet instead of munching whatever time allows now and then while all of your attention is on work. Along with this, take some time out for exercises
and physical exertion. Avoiding excessive carbs and alcohol can also prove helpful. - Adequate Sleep
Rest is very important for the mind to function without any glitches. Follow a routine so that whatever amount of sleep you take actually relaxes your body. Don’t carry yours electronic devices to the bed, if
possible. Or at the very least, ensure they are on silent mode so that you get some good sleep. - Talk to people
It’s very important to talk those who are close to you in personal and professional capacity whenever you feel too much work pressure. It doesn’t make impotent or raise any questions on the worthiness of
the person if they need to step back when it gets too much to handle. Tell your boss if stress is getting too much. Or you can ask your colleagues to extend some help and support. Share your thoughts with
close friends or family so that they are in loop with what’s going on with you and help you out whenever necessary. - Adapt positive approach towards career and life
Everyone loves success and achievements. But it’s important that they don’t cost you too much. Be positive about the possibilities and try to keep up the humour when you’re feeling low. Don’t try be the
perfectionist because setting unrealistic goals will set you up for consequent disappoints. This will increase your stress and might even trigger depression. Be your own admirer and don’t feel
disheartened at small failure. Instead, learn from them. This will not only help you beat stress but also help you to become good professional in the long run. - Make time for yourself
No matter how much of an workaholic a person is, everyone needs some time to themselves. Every once in a while do something to make yourself special. Take out some time for a hobby. Meet your
friends who keep you grounded and lift your spirits. Instead of planning to do more work on the weekend after working long hours on the weekdays to become an over-achiever, relax and do nothing.
It will ensure that when you return to work, you’re more efficient and perform better. - Ensure right work environment
Its not possible for a person to be happy at the workplace if he does not have a pleasant work environment. Both physical and mental comfort are required for a person to work to his best potential.
So keep your work space organized. Also take a break to walk a few steps every hour so that you don’t experience any physical discomfort. - Avoid conflicts at the workplace It’s very important for a person to have good inter-personal relationships at the workplace. The bond with the boss, colleagues and subordinates affects to a great extent his workplace satisfaction. Therefore, conflicts should be avoided. In case such conflict takes place, it’s necessary to resolve it at the earliest before it escalates.
So try adapting these little changes in your work-life and see the magic it creates.