Take Care of your Mental health at Workplace

By Dr. Ashima Srivastava in Mental Health And Behavioural Sciences , Clinical Psychology

Nov 08 , 2020 | 2 min read

As generations progress, we spend more and more time at the workplace than ever before. The long hours, combined with a lot of other stress factors are bound to take a toll on one's physical and mental health. Looking from a mental health perspective, your work life may be a major contributor to disorders like anxiety, depression, substance abuse etc. Sometimes, it is also possible that stress in one's life may manifest itself in the form of physical ailments too. In such cases, there is no biological base to problems. The root is psychological. Also, excessive stress in general triggers a lot of other physical and mental ailments.

Dr. Ashima Srivastava, Senior Consultant, Clinic Psychologist at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj says, as we take out time this year to raise awareness about mental health issues, let us mobilize our efforts to support a better working environment for the mental and physical wellbeing of the people we work with. Breaks, team building activities, counseling sessions, and the like, which are usually viewed as a waste of time, prove to be useful measures to inculcate a positive and understanding work environment. This, in turn, increases productivity and motivation to work harder, thereby lowering the risk of developing a variety of mental health difficulties.

These days, the discussion on mental health has increased. But what about maintaining mental health at your workplace? One’s workplace cannot be neglected, and one must work towards decreasing the stigma related to mental health needs, especially with respect to the workplace. If a person is not physically and mentally fit, then how will he ever be productive?

The approach to address this concern should focus on holistic well-being (both physical and psychological well-being) for both employers as well as employees. Workplaces need to take measures to help overcome work related difficulties for employees, increase job satisfaction, as well as provide a platform for people to address their issues. The holistic wellbeing of each individual comes before organizational success. On World Mental Health Day, let us all reflect on our respective work environment.

Below are some workplace rules for happy life:

Motivate members of your team and congratulate them on their achievements
Change the way you respond to low productivity
Give alternatives instead of saying NO
Facilitate Open communication
Celebrate small victories and manage tasks with a checklist
Trust no one but respect everyone.
What happens in office should remain in office. Never take office gossips to home and vice versa.
Enter office on time, leave on time. Your desktop is not helping to improve your health.
Never make Relationships in the workplace. It will always backfire.
Expect nothing. If somebody helps, feel thankful. If not, you will learn to know things on your own.
Never rush for a position. If you get promoted, congrats. If not, it does not matter. You will always be remembered for your knowledge and politeness, not for your designation.