Top tips for staying mentally healthy at work

Be a complete professional even when it comes to your state of mind.

- Adit Ganguly
Dec 10, 2023

offline

It can be a challenging task to take a step back and breathe amidst the many emails, tight deadlines, and countless assignments at work, and an even harder job to have your mental health in top shape as the most important task of the day. No step is too small as long as you take matters into your own hands and walk on the path where you’re in a calmer state of mind. So start today with these helpful tips we've compiled to get you started.

Find out the cause of the problem

Realisation and acceptance are the first steps to tackle any problem. If your work is severely affecting your mental health, it’s time to figure out what is the root of the problem. Is it because you’re suffering from workplace stress? Unpleasant relations with your colleagues, doing something at work that you’re not enjoying, experiencing favouritism to your colleagues, your superior criticizing you, their poor support, the commute, can all be part of the problem. Remember, that among the important rights you have, the right to work at a place where you feel safe is paramount.

The last thing you want to do here is neglect your feelings. Not managing the stress that you face properly can lead to burnout and other mental health issues. A way to tackle and reduce that is by practising activities that relieve stress.

No matter what you do, don’t skip lunch

Tasks come and go during the day, lunch takes place just once. So you better have it as it is the longest break you’ll be taking. Doing so will make you feel more productive (even more so if you’re eating something you like). While work sometimes gets so hectic that we end up eating lunch towards the evening, it’s still a better alternative than being hungry and hangry around your colleagues.

Listen to music and block out the noise

Are noisy colleagues ruining your train of thought? It’s time to zone out and shut down their noise by listening to the sounds you love. Listening to some soothing music can take your mind off work for a while, reduce anxiety and help you detach before getting back into work mode. You could also listen to your favourite songs after every task (listening to sad songs that make you feel happy can be a reward system if you use the Pomodoro technique to complete tasks). Music also helps when you really need zero distractions to complete a task that’s going to take you a lot of time.

Have someone in the office who you can trust and speak to

There will be days when you’ll spiral at work and either have a panic attack or an anxiety attack. And this is where having a close colleague or a team that is united on every front is so very helpful. No problem is too big or urgent at work and you’ll realise the beauty in brainstorming together as you feed off their positive energy and ideas.

Practice mindfulness and focus on your strengths

How you start your day is going to decide your mood and energy, so why not do so through yoga or medication that’ll help you breeze through at work. We don’t need to get into the many benefits of the two which include reducing your stress levels, improving focus, and helping you make decisions better. But we can certainly say that you don’t need to spend a lot of time meditating. Just a few minutes, either at home or at your desk does the trick. The important thing is to start and do it.

The two main things that you can change concerning your outlook towards work is to focus on your strengths and stop comparing yourself to others. As far as the former goes, focus more on what gets you going, drives you forward, and gives you that sense of accomplishment. And if you want to compare yourself, the only competition is you so compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

Leave work at work

We can’t stress this enough but you have to draw the line if you want to maintain the perfect work-life balance. Try not to check emails and pick up calls after work hours and during the weekend. The best thing to do is to leave your laptop in the office.