Job stress and mental health

Job stress is a major contributing factor to mental health. Studies have repeatedly shown that job stress contributes to mental illness, especially depression and anxiety. We often bring home stress from our jobs. This can impact our families and our personal lives in many ways. You may notice being more irritable at home, you may notice you are not sleeping as well, you may notice you are not doing activities you once enjoyed as often, etc. Thankfully there are a variety of ways to help alleviate this stress. First, make sure you get enough sleep. Without enough sleep, our bodies cannot function optimally. When we get enough sleep, we are able to keep better balance in our lives which will help us be able to handle stress better, thus not taking it home in the evenings. Second, give yourself a little extra time in the morning. It is much easier to tackle the day when you are not getting into work and immediately setting to work, but are able to give yourself 5-10 minutes to settle in. Organize your desk and area – with an organized work space, we are able to have an organized and less stressed mind to focus on what we need to. Create yourself a “to do” list for tomorrow at the end of every day so you can get it off your mind. Break projects down into more manageable tasks. Do some sort of ritual that closes your day to leave work at work (for example in the car on the way home, utilize mindfulness techniques or tell yourself “that part of my day is over; I am focusing on the next part of my day.” I read a story about a man who would drive home from work and touch a tree before coming into the house. On the way to work in the morning, he would touch the tree again. His point in this is to leave work outside of his home/not bringing work home, and picking up where he left off after he leaves the house again in the morning). Whatever you choose to do, it is helpful to leave work outside the house and separate it from your personal life to ensure you maintain balance in your life of work and play/personal time. Try something new on the next business day to let the day go before you walk into the house!