Effective Ways to Cope with Depression and Stress at Work!

Dealing with work is stressful and difficult. Aside from coping with the demand to finish your seemingly endless tasks, you still need to build a professional working relationship with your boss, co-workers, and even your customers.

Dealing with irate customers, mistakes, and mishaps in your work or project can also be overwhelming. With these constant pressures we’re dealing with at work, there’s no doubt we’re prone to chronic stress – which can lead to depression.

The Study

According to the latest study conducted by Anxiety and Depression Association of America, more than 16 million American adults suffer from stress and depression, with the majority of them dealing with it in their prime working years.

The median age range for a major depressive disorder is around 32.5 years old. When they fail to accomplish their work or tasks, it triggers the feeling of exhaustion and worthlessness. Most working adults fall from work stress thinking they couldn’t even do their work properly.

If their negative feelings prolong outside of work hours and start to interfere in other areas of your life, this transgresses into anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, Mental Health America reports how clinical depression affects the U.S. economy by losing more than $51 billion due to diminished work productivity and workplace absenteeism.

If left untreated, it can harm not only your work performance but also your job stability and career ladder. The mental health experts recommend you apply these ways to maintain professionalism and productivity at work while coping up with your depressive symptoms.

Talk To Your Boss

According to the renowned psychologist Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, you shouldn’t be afraid to talk with your superiors or boss about your mental health. A good boss or superior will be concerned about your welfare and will never perceive you as weak or incapable of doing your job.

She advises you to book an appointment or private meeting with your boss or HR where you can discuss the issues you have without any interruptions. Your superiors can also think of creating a working environment to accommodate you in your need to take some time off, scheduled breaks, or just by helping you to perform your job well.

Practice Self-care

Taking care of yourself can help boost your confidence and self-worth. It also helps in coping up with your anxiety and depression symptoms. Make sure to eat a healthy diet, exercise, get enough sleep and try socializing with your family and friends to get all the support you need. Also, practicing breathing exercises help promote muscle relaxation to ease the tension in your body and unwind from the stress you’re feeling. You can download mindfulness apps during your work breaks to help de-stress yourself and cope up as you face the day.

Organize Your Workday.

The mental health experts also recommend you organize your working routine and schedule, so you won’t be overwhelmed with your tasks for the day. You can create a checklist as you list your tasks according to priority and urgency. You can also time in your breaks and eliminate any distractions like your phone, the internet, etc., to help yourself stay focused in doing your job. If you have a big project at hand, it’s advisable to divide it into smaller, manageable tasks or projects to help you focus on accomplishing your tasks and to also monitor your progress.

Know When You’re Most and Least Productive.

According to Benders-Hadi, it’s important to know when your most and least productive times are so that you can time in your work while coping up with your anxiety and depression. For example, if you know you have difficulty in focusing during the afternoon, Benders-Hadi recommends finishing all your important tasks first thing in the morning. In this way, you won’t jeopardize your work when you start feeling gloomy.

You can plan your schedule for the day as well as laying out alternatives on how to cope up your depression. For example, some people may overcome their anxiety whenever they interact with their co-workers or shift their focus in a meeting. In this way, you can schedule your meetings and appointments in the afternoon to divert your attention and overcome your anxiety.