Burnout is real. Nowadays, many of us are pressured to do it all. Meetings, projects, new opportunities and more. Work can be stressful and I’ve sure felt these feelings more than once. As much as I love my job, I still feel overwhelmed with the amount of work I have from time to time. It can be hard to balance everything when my blog is in addition to my 9 to 5 day job. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to take care of myself and that includes putting my mental health first.
Mental health at work is not talked about enough and I think it’s extremely important that we all have ways to keep our mental health in check while at work. I was inspired to write this after a Mental Health workshop at my day job!
Disclaimer: This piece is co-written with my lovely assistant, Tiffani Lee whose passion aligns with mine in the field of mental health and reducing the stigma attached to it. We are not professionals and if you are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department for assistance.
Here are 5 ways that I keep my Mental Health a Priority at Work:
Practice Mindfulness Throughout your Day
Mindfulness is something that took me a while to understand.
At first, I thought it was meditating where I would have to sit in a very quiet room, turn on an app and starting breathing in and out slowly.
Mindfulness is where you take little moments throughout your day to be present.
Things like taking 3 deep breaths to ground yourself or noticing + acknowledging your thoughts and feelings can help give you a reset during a stressful day. Being present in your actions and focusing on right now can really bring relaxation.
The best part?
A lot of these mindfulness exercises can be done right at your desk without anyone knowing.
Mental Health Apps
I use apps like Calm and Headspace for mindful meditation throughout the day.
They have free, guided meditation and mindfulness practices that you can do even from your desk. You can choose to the amount of time you want to practice for, plug in and just get comfortable. They also give you a bunch of tips to practice mindfulness on the go!
There are also fun self-empowerment books like Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop if you enjoy reading and/or audio books!
Journaling
This is an easy one that you can take anywhere.
I keep a notebook by my bedside and another at my desk at work.
Whenever I feel anxious or my mind floods with thoughts, I’ll do what I call a brain dump and take everything running through my mind onto the page. It gives me such a big sigh of relief and it actually helps me organize my ideas. I also try to journal every so often before I go to bed.
If you’re looking to start journaling, perhaps write 3 good things that happened during the day and 3 things you’re grateful for. I definitely find that it’s a good practice to stay positive and keep a healthy mindset
If you don’t like physically writing it down on a piece of paper, the app Moodspace can keep track of your thoughts and feelings with little reminders that pop up on your phone!
Some of my favourite journals from Chapters:
Breathing
If you’ve never tried 4 square or pretzel breathing, it’s a quick way to ground yourself when you’re stressed.
4 square breathing is taking in a deep breath for 4 counts, holding your breath for 4 counts and then breathing out for 4 counts.
Do this for 4 rounds or until your thoughts and heart slowdown.
I sometimes practice this as part of my pre-filming calming routine before my TV segments. It does wonders to center yourself and calm your body and mind.
Pretzel breathing involves crossing your arms and legs and taking big deep breaths to relax you.
Take a Break during The Work Day!
If you’re on the computer all day like me, it’s easy to feel drained and tired sitting at a screen.
I’m always tempted to just eat lunch at my desk so I can get more done but what I’ve realized is that it’s not good for my mental health and it actually makes me less productive.
Get up and take a walk! Fresh air and a little movement does a body wonders.
If it’s raining outside make sure you get up at least 2 times during your work day to walk around, stretch, eat lunch away from the desk. Maybe ask someone to join you to chat about your day!
Even if it feels like you’re stepping away from work, I find that I am more productive when I get back instead of trying to shovel food in while multitasking
Build Meaningful and Supportive Relationships
If you work a 9 to 5 like me, most likely, you don’t work alone.
That said, when I worked as a blogger full time, I did try to set up work dates with fellow bloggers every week to keep social!
Right now, my day job includes a whole team that I collaborate with throughout the day.
Humans are social creatures by nature and we need real connections to thrive. I try to take my time to connect with my co-workers and build a relationship with them that doesn’t just involve work. Feeling like you’re cared for and supported makes a world of a difference. This is a great way to maintain a healthy mental health at work state.
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Make Work Life Balance a Priority
Yes, there is such a thing as work-life balance!
I am guilty as I used to think that in order to be productive, I’d always have to be BUSY. That my friends, is a lie.
There is no shame in taking time to take care of yourself and do what’s good for your body and mind.
You have a life outside of work! I know it’s hard because as a full time blogger, I have events and campaigns outside my 9-5 work hours and it can be hard to separate myself from work. BUT, it’s so important. I’ve now become wayyy more selective with the events I go to, and the campaigns I take on.
Decorate your Workspace + Set Yourself Up for Success
A big part of managing mental health at work is resilience. Resilience is all about learning to managing your feelings in a healthy way. Building up a toolkit of stress management techniques is a great way to set yourself up for success.
Another way is just to stay organized. When I have a plan in place and a to-do list to guide me, I feel less anxious and ready to tackle what gets thrown my way.
I used to be someone who HAD to finish everything on my daily list or else I’d be VERY unhappy and feel unproductive. It took a while (long while) for me to change that. Now, I still create my lists but I find peace in knowing that it WILL get done eventually- and that’s totally okay! Staying flexible but still having a guide gives me the opportunity to understand my feelings and respond to them.
As well, make your workspace a place you’d want to be for a huge chunk of your day!
I love decorating and I think placing items you love on your desk at work does wonders for your mentality. Diffusers, photos or pieces of artwork you love, candles etc is another way of bringing your personality to work and making it visually appealing.
I want to share the items below as these are some things that make me happy:
If you are feeling overwhelmed, tell someone! The more we are open about our struggles, the better mental health supports we can advocate for in our workplaces. It’s important to listen to your own body and understand your limits.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is SAY NO. You don’t have to do everything and we all can’t be superwoman.
So listen and acknowledge. Let’s make mental health a priority everyday!
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Till next time,
xoxo Sam
