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Mental Health in the Workplace
Actually, having a job is important and beneficial for mental health: having a task, receiving appreciation, and maintaining social contacts with colleagues—all contribute to mental well-being. However, work can also make you ill: among other things, prolonged stress can lead to serious psychological and physical symptoms.
Of course, the professional everyday life is not always sunshine and roses. Almost everyone is familiar with high workloads or stress with the boss or colleagues. And as long as this is not a permanent condition, it is generally not a cause for concern. However, the number of people on sick leave due to mental illnesses as a result of their work has been rising drastically for years: Between 2008 and 2018 alone, it increased by 144 percent.
First signs of an impending mental illness
Often, individuals affected do not notice or realize too late that they are heading towards a mental illness. The following symptoms can be early warning signs:
- Sleep disorders: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep can be symptoms just like constant fatigue and the need for sleep.
- No desire to get up
- Stomachache (real or figurative) at the thought of having to go to work
- Frequently recurring or persistent head, neck, or back pain
- Susceptibility to infections
- Concentration problems
- Stomach troubles
If you notice one or more of these symptoms in yourself over a longer period of time, be sure to seek stress counseling or consult your doctor. There are many psychological and physical causes that can be the reason for this.
Burnout and Depression: The Causes
In many companies, the workload has continuously increased over the past years and decades: More and more tasks are to be completed in less and less time – often due to staff shortages resulting from cost-cutting measures.
The new media have also significantly increased the work pace. Emails keep popping up, the phone rings while the video call is ongoing, and text messages blink every minute. Breaks are too short. There is no end-of-work day due to the constant availability demanded by many bosses. An undisturbed vacation of at least two weeks is utopian. The feeling of overload, up to and including full-blown burnout, is sometimes just a matter of time.
According to the law, a workday should generally not exceed eight hours on average. Breaks must be provided, and there must be at least eleven hours of rest afterwards. Twelve consecutive working days of vacation must be granted.
From restlessness to suicidal thoughts: Symptoms
The collapse is not the beginning but the end of this mental illness. It begins with a lot of energy: The affected person puts above-average effort into their job, feels indispensable – and eventually can no longer switch off, making necessary recovery impossible. The result: decreased performance, even more effort, further decreased performance, even more effort...
A vicious cycle. That soon manifests with restlessness, exhaustion, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, heart palpitations, sexual problems, and constant infections. Increased consumption of nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine can also be a consequence. In the worst case, the illness results in a complete physical breakdown, severe depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Resist the Beginnings: How You Can Prevent It
I am fed up, I can't take it anymore." If you're thinking this, it's actually already too late. Often, it's not even the external pressure that drives people into burnout. Frequently, it is themselves who take on too much—or let themselves be burdened—in order to gain recognition and self-affirmation. The first step towards improvement is always recognizing that there is a problem at all.
It's better if it doesn't come to that in the first place. Here's what you can do preventively:
- Saying No Out of fear of losing their job, many do not dare to set boundaries with their boss. But thinking further: Those heading towards burnout will also no longer be able to perform the assigned tasks well, or eventually not at all. Request a meeting with your superior and clearly and factually explain why you cannot be reachable at ten in the evening or take on another task. Demand breaks and vacations, potentially together with colleagues if this is a company-wide issue. By the way, the demands don't always come from the outside. Don't burden yourself with too much.
- Good Time Management: Make it like Beppo the street sweeper in “Momo”: Always one step after the other, don't rush and look anxiously to the end of the street. Especially with many complex tasks, it's important to make a schedule and work through the tasks by priority so that you don't get bogged down. Ask for help in time if you can't manage your workload.
- Bury unrealistic expectations Certainly, there should be praise for well-executed work. But not always a big bouquet of flowers. Especially when it's just your job that you are doing. Don't be disappointed if you're not patted on the back daily for everyday tasks. Just do it yourself.
- Work-life balance: The be-all and end-all. Relaxation is essential. So create spaces where you can meet friends, read, play an instrument, or do sports. The latter is especially important: not only does exercise reduce stress, but it also releases endorphins that make you happy. Set times when you want to exercise—and stick to them. Who doesn't know it: "I'll do it tomorrow" quickly turns into an entire week.
Note: Overloading is not always the cause of mental illness in the workplace. Under-challenging ("boreout syndrome") or bullying can also have serious mental and physical consequences with similar symptoms.
from Jana Lorenz
