Does your job affect your mental health?
Some tips and tools for looking after your mental wellbeing at work
Back in 2020 when we were deep in the pandemic and everyone’s mental health was taking a battering, I did a training course as a Mental Health First Aider.
Part of my coaching work is helping clients who have been made redundant to find a new role, and it was clear to me that more and more of them were struggling with their mental wellbeing, both from the impact of losing their job and the effects of the lockdowns in general. Now I’m not a trained counsellor but I definitely wanted to have the right tools to be able to spot the signs and support and signpost someone towards the appropriate help if they needed it. I’ve now lost count of the number of times I’ve had those exact conversations with clients and I’m so glad I was provided with the training.
Last week I did my 3 year refresher and was shocked by the ongoing need for trained Mental Health First Aiders in the workplace which just seems to be growing. Did you know 1 in 6.8Â people experience mental health problems in the UK workplace (14.7%)?
And women in full-time employment are nearly twice as likely to have a common mental health problem as full-time employed men (19.8% vs 10.9%)?1
When it comes to career change, your stress levels and wellbeing are really important factors to consider when weighing up whether to move roles or move company. If a toxic workplace is negatively impacting you day to day, then that is a perfectly valid reason to seek out another organisation that prioritises employee wellbeing and better work life balance.
But what are the factors which might hold you back from making a change?
One of the most common fears I hear is around finances. Now it is true that changing jobs might impact you financially in the short term, but consider what staying in a toxic job is ‘costing’ you in other ways. Are the stress, burnout and other health implications worth it? Prolonged stress can lead to depression and relationship breakdown.
My advice to clients is to take a look at your household costs and work out what you need to get by as a minimum (it might be less than you think), as this can free you up from feeling tied to a particular salary.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to change organisations or risk a period where you’re job hunting and not earning, research if it might be possible to make a sideways move within the company. Could you move to another department, or change the type of role you do with different responsibilities, which would reduce your stress overall?
The second most common fear I hear is around confidence and feeling worried about landing another job successfully.
Whilst having some anxiety around making a career change is entirely normal, here are some things I like to remind clients of to boost their confidence:
Remember that you are an experienced professional. You will have learned new skills (many of which will be transferable) and know how to deal with all sorts of tricky situations and individuals. All of these things are extremely valuable to any employer.
You now know much more about what's available out there in the world of work than did when you first entered the workplace, so your choice of career options is broader.
Positive psychology studies2 show that setting yourself new goals and challenges gives you motivation and meaning in life – changing careers is good for you!
If making a change all feels too much right now, or if you’re really struggling, find out what support your company has available. Do they have a workplace therapy service you could contact? Or trained Mental Health First Aiders? If not, is there a trusted colleague or manager you could confide in? What about friends and family? Could you write down your feelings in a journal? Are there any self-care habits that you could try to help process your stress e.g exercise or meditation?
In today’s #careerinspocorner I’ve included some useful resources which might help you or someone you know:
#CareerInspo Corner ☕ 📚 🎧
‘A career change saved my life’. Some inspiring burnout career change stories
Hub of Hope. A really handy website and app where you can type in your postcode and access a database full of relevant support quickly and easily.
If you’re addicted to self help and personal growth books like me, then you’ll love the online book club, Shelf Help Club. It has the added bonus of providing a ready made community to support your ‘healing, happiness and growth’.
The MHFA training course was career and life changing for me. Anyone can do it (you can do it as an individual, or your employer might fund it as part of your CPD, or you could gather a few colleagues together who are interested). It might just change or save the life of someone you know or work with.
The world of work is challenging and has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. So you’re not alone if your mental wellbeing has taken a bit of a hit. I hope today’s newsletter has helped a little, and please share in the comments if there are any other tips or tools that you’ve found helpful that others might benefit from too.
Take care and speak soon,
Juliette xx Â
Mental health at work: statistics | Mental Health Foundation
The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting (positivepsychology.com)