Cindy Chia, MA, CMHC, is the founder of Aspire Psychological, an award-winning mental health private practice.
Do you often find yourself wondering how to protect your peace in a stressful work environment? Whether it be from colleagues, administrators or the work itself, stress can impact your mental health minimally or even cause you to do a complete nose dive.
As we live in a rapidly changing world that expects more of us professionally, you might find yourself logging off after a long work session and still sitting with issues that arose from your work day. Here are some ideas on how to preserve your mental health in the workplace, whether it be a virtual, hybrid or in-person model.
Avoid common spaces that breed negativity.
In my experience, in-person lounge areas, virtual happy hours and similar environments can sometimes foster conversations that sow dissension and disillusionment or be outright demeaning. If you find this is happening, try to avoid these negative spaces if you can or inhabit them only occasionally in order to keep your spirits up.
Remove work-related apps from your personal devices.
If at all possible, try removing email, work messaging apps, etc., from your personal tech, such as your cell phone, tablet, etc. This can help you create a solid division between your work and personal devices. You might find yourself not checking for work-related items during your time off.
Leave work at work.
This is obviously not a novel concept for many, but it’s a tried-and-true method just the same. If you’re one who always takes work tasks home with you and it impedes your home life, ask yourself if you can avoid doing so by maximizing your time with intentional focus and arriving to work a bit earlier or staying a bit later.
Spend your lunch breaks wisely.
This might seem unorthodox because how can one spend their lunch “wisely?” For some, this might look like taking a walk at a nearby trail during their break or eating lunch outside. Meanwhile, for others, this could be as simple as a change of pace from eating lunch at your desk or breakroom.
Decompress during the work day.
Speaking of breaks, how do you typically spend your non-lunch breaks throughout the day? Many people might find themselves spending it mindlessly, scrolling through their phones without any true intention. But perhaps you can find a way to decompress more methodically by doing such things as watching a funny video you’ve been meaning to get to or sneaking in a few quick pages of your current read. It is important to take time for meaningful rest when given the opportunity so your mind and body can rejuvenate and go back to your tasks recharged.
Confide in people outside of work.
Last but certainly not least, think about close friends or loved ones you can confide in about your work, colleagues, etc. A lot of times, your inner circle can provide fresh perspectives and give you feedback on whether things are unhealthy at work, especially if that circle is mentally healthy themselves because they are out of your immediate work environment and don’t have innate bias.
Maintaining healthy boundaries between work and home life is crucial for your overall well-being. It’s important to set healthy boundaries to help you be productive without derailing you to the point of burning out for being spread so thin in both worlds.
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