With everything going on in the world right now, a lot of people are struggling with their mental health. From the pandemic to work and family stress, even people who don’t normally struggle from anxiety and depression are starting to feel the effects of everything going on in the world. Unfortunately, as time goes on and these stressors don’t dissipate, these strains on our mental health can start to affect our personal and professional lives. As the pressure builds up, it can seem almost impossible to meet deadlines, things that were once easy turning into an immovable roadblock. Whether it’s something that’s just starting to affect you or something that you’ve dealt with for years, mental health issues can throw a wrench in anyone’s plans. I’ve personally dealt with various mental health stressors for years on and off and know how difficult they can be. Therefore, I wanted to share a couple tips I’ve found to help you push past that roadblock.
1) Take Breaks
So I know this one appeared in my productivity tips article as well, but taking care of your mental health can greatly improve your productivity. Breaks are important because they allow your brain to take a moment to breathe. If you’re finding a task getting increasingly difficult or frustrating, it’s okay to step back and take a break. Throwing yourself at the same wall over and over again will only result in burnout as you get increasingly frustrated. It’s okay to take a step back, go do a different task to clear your mind, and then come back to look at the task giving your trouble in a new light. For example, one of the things I do at my job is enter checks when companies pay us. For obvious reasons I have to make sure the checks I’m adding up, and the payments on the computer, match. When I was having trouble matching them to the point that I was about ready to scream in frustration, I stopped, took a moment to go deliver the mail to another department, and then came back. It was only after I gave my mind a break that I was able to figure out that one of the checks hadn’t been added up correctly by the company who sent it and I was able to correct the problem.
2) Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out
Personally, this is the hardest tip for me. Admitting you’re having trouble and reaching out to loved ones for help can be terrifying. To many, it can seem like a sign of weakness, a crack in your exterior that you’re trying so desperately to hide. But now more than ever it’s important to have a support group to lean on when you need it. Whether you need someone to give advice or simply someone to vent to, having someone to talk to can help a lot when it comes to relieving stress. When you do reach out to someone, make sure to ask if they’re in a good place to listen to you first. They might be dealing with their own stressors and can’t concentrate on helping you or they might be in the middle of a task where they can’t direct their full attention to you. When you do talk to them, also make sure they’re aware if you’re asking for help or if you just need to vent. Some people are natural fixers, they see a problem and want to fix it then and there. This can only be more frustrating to people who just want to vent. On the other hand, if the person you’re talking to assumes you’re just venting when you’re asking for help, it can be difficult to come back to them because you assume they don’t want to help at all. Communication is key in any relationship and can help reduce future stressors and get you back on your feet faster.
3) Take Care of Yourself
This is probably the most important tip on the list today. You’ve only got one body and one life, so be sure to care for it. No job or task is worth the risk to your health, be it physical or mental. In an ideal world we would be able to get eight full hours of sleep, exercise regularly, and eat healthy all the time. Unfortunately, for many people, this isn’t an option. We don’t always have time to cook healthy and we often have to skip exercising to get something else done or stay up late finishing a project. I’m not here to tell you to drop everything and make your life 100% healthy, I’d honestly be a hypocrite if I did. But care for yourself, take the breaks your body needs, go to bed early when you need to, and call out of work when you’re feeling sick. I know how hard this can be, how guilty you can feel at times, but the work will be there when you’re feeling better. If you keep working yourself to the bone when you’re feeling bad, you’re only going to exhaust yourself more and it may lead to serious issues. You’re important too, it’s okay to treat yourself as such.
4) Don’t Deal with “What Ifs”
The dreaded “what if” is the worst enemy for anyone with anxiety. What if I don’t finish this project? What if they don’t like my proposal? What if I’m not actually suited for this job? These kinds of questions can be petrifying, freezing you in place as you struggle through them and ultimately miss the opportunity you were worrying so much about. That little voice in the back of your mind can be difficult to ignore, but shove it aside and keep going. Rather than focusing on the worst-case scenario, sit down and figure out what’s the best-case scenario and the middle-of-the-road scenario. The majority of times the worst-case scenario won’t happen but neither will the best case. You most likely won’t get laughed out of the interview room after embarrassing yourself and they probably won’t offer you the job on the spot, but it’s far more likely you’ll get called back to a follow-up interview. Turning our brain away from the worst-case scenario can be hard, especially turning it all the way to the best-case scenario. Settling in the middle is much easier and with repeated practice, your brain will eventually go to those options first rather than the worst case.
5) Seek Help
Sometimes our mental health issues can get to a point where they’re completely overwhelming to us and our support groups. When it gets to this point, it’s okay to reach out for professional help. Admitting you need help and going to therapy isn’t a sign of weakness; it can actually be a lifesaver. Therapists are trained to help people work through mental health issues and teach them different coping mechanisms when it comes to dealing with stress. When searching for a therapist, make sure that you find one who specializes in the issues you’re going through. For many people, this will simply be anxiety or depression, but other therapists specialize in specific mental disorders, relationships, or employment. Some practices also offer consultations before your first meeting to see if you and the therapist are a good fit. Even after this consultation, if at any point you don’t feel that your therapist is a good fit for you anymore, don’t be afraid to speak up. You’re seeing this person to help you with your mental health and get you back on your feet. You should feel comfortable enough to talk to them and feel as if at least some progress is being made. By speaking up you, open communication for them to figure out how to better work with you. If they refuse to work with you or their behavior is making you uncomfortable or feel invalidated, it’s okay to stop seeing them and reach out to someone new. Your mental health is extremely important, don’t settle for second best.
