Working all day can be very tiring. However, when you have to worry about your mental health as well, everything can start to feel a bit overwhelming. If you suffer from depression and anxiety, you need to know how to talk about this with your employer and colleagues as well as what you should do if you feel discriminated as a result of this.

You Are Not Alone

The Mental Health Foundation recently published some statistics which show that you are not alone. They stated that 1 in 6 adults will suffer from a mental health issue. Approximately 4% to 10% of people in England have experienced depression and 7.8% of people suffer from a mixture of depression and anxiety.

The sad truth is that discussing mental health often feels like a taboo, particularly at work. You may be concerned with being seen as less efficient due to this or face discrimination or losing your job suggest ClarityClinic If you are finding it hard to focus at work, you need to speak up and let the people with some power life your load and help you.

Know Your Rights

According to the Employment Rights Act of 1996, your employer has to work with you to overcome any health problems. It is also important to note that it is in your employer’s best interests to help you. Depression and anxiety are common mental health issues and have been estimated to cause around a fifth of all sick days in Britain.

If can often be hard to talk about personal and emotional subjects at work, but you need to focus on the practicalities and logistics to remove the emotional charge. You should look at suggesting concrete things that could help you cope such as switching to part-time or flexible hours for a while to give you breathing space. The option of working from home may also take some of the stress off. When you go into the conversation with some potential solutions, it will often feel less daunting.

If you are still nervous about talking to your supervisor or if things are not going well when you do, you should have a talk with the HR or occupational health department. However, your direct supervisor should be the first person that you talk to.

Tips For Wellbeing

Research has found that regular exercise, a healthy work-life balance, and mindfulness techniques will also help to create good mental health. Socializing with your colleagues and lending a hand to help other people can also lift your mood. A happy and strong team will benefit everyone and if one person is struggling, the others will be able to step in and help.

Busting The Stigma On Mental Health

The more people talk about mental health, the more the stigma attached to it will be broken down. This is why you should not suffer in silence. Work is important, but it is not more important than your health. When it comes to your mental health, you need to be proactive and make your workplace a better place to be.