Feeling stressed, down, or anxious? You鈥檙e in good company.
- Mental health 鈥渄ramatically declined鈥 in 2020, according to a , 鈥渨ith an estimated 53 million additional cases of major depressive disorders and 76 million additional cases of anxiety disorders seen globally.鈥
- Nearly said their mental health was only 鈥渇air or poor鈥 in December 2022.
- believe the country is 鈥渆xperiencing a mental health crisis鈥 as of October 2022.
There is plenty to be stressed about. In the workplace, many employees are returning to the office, where expectations aren鈥檛 always clear. Layoffs have left some workers scrambling for jobs, and others are overburdened by new responsibilities. Outside of work, Americans are navigating ongoing public health crises, systemic inequalities, and . Plus, 70 percent of Americans are financially stressed, with the majority living paycheck to paycheck. And that鈥檚 not to mention personal stress.
鈥淚 think the stress has definitely always been there, there is just much more gravity to it now,鈥 says Joshua Kwasnicki, the director of organizational development for the . 鈥淧eople are on edge. What鈥檚 happening at work, they鈥檙e carrying with them to their house, and what鈥檚 happening at home, they鈥檙e carrying with them to work.鈥
All this to say: Your feelings are valid, and it鈥檚 understandable if emotional distress
has been interfering with your ability to concentrate at your job. That鈥檚 why we reached
out to the Crisis Center, as well as the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences,
for these eight ways to reduce stress at work.
8. Acknowledge That It鈥檚 Okay to Not Be Okay
If you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed with stress at work, give yourself permission to be a human being 鈥 not simply a worker or employee. 鈥淵ou have to take care of yourself first,鈥 says Julie Serovich, the dean of the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the 51在线. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to be productive in the workplace when you鈥檝e got a lot of things going on, and so making sure that you put yourself as a priority is very important.鈥
Kwasnicki has a similar message: 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to not be okay,鈥 he says. 鈥淎t work, we pressure ourselves to succeed because that鈥檚 been the backbone of everything we鈥檝e been taught: 鈥榶ou鈥檝e just got to do it.鈥 But鈥 people are going to struggle. Instead of thinking to [yourself], what鈥檚 wrong with me? They did it, why can鈥檛 I just do it? It鈥檚 okay to say, you know what, I need help with this. There鈥檚 no shame in that.鈥
A healthy workplace is inclusive, compassionate, and supportive 鈥 encouraging employees
to take care of their mental and emotional health. (And if your workplace doesn鈥檛
allow you to ask for help or have an honest conversation about your needs, you might
consider looking for a job elsewhere.)
7. Find Ways to Recharge
You鈥檝e probably heard the term 鈥渨ork/life balance鈥 a lot. But if you feel like this balancing act requires a Cirque du Soleil-level of acrobatics, you鈥檙e not alone. 鈥淲e live in very different times from when that term was coined,鈥 Kwasnicki says. Just think about how easy it is to check your email from home!
What should we do instead? Aim for a 鈥渨ork/life blend,鈥 Kwasnicki suggests. 鈥淚 never truly get away from work, and also, I鈥檓 not a robot 鈥 things happen in my life that I鈥檓 going to take into work with me. It鈥檚 okay to not be okay. So how do I blend the work and life in a way that makes sense to me?鈥
He encourages workers to reflect: 鈥渨hat is draining my energy at work? What can I do to re-energize?鈥
You might try something from this pleasant events list, adapted from the book by Marsha M. Linehan:
- Spend time outside 鈥 whether that鈥檚 five minutes on your lunch break or a nature walk after work.
- Listen to music.
- Play with a pet.
- Meditate or do yoga.
- Write down affirmations about your good qualities.
- Take a bath.
- Advocate for a cause.
- Watch a funny YouTube video.
- Tinker with your car.
- Plan a beach day.
- Hang out or call a loved one.
- Make a smoothie and drink it slowly.
- Join a sports team.
- Light a candle.
- Lift weights.
- Watch a favorite TV show or read a book.
- Remind yourself, 鈥淚 have done a full day鈥檚 work.鈥
Looking for an excuse to pamper yourself this month? You can also try our 30-day Wellness
Challenge, chock-full of activities designed to help you re-charge.
6. Practice Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation 鈥 which has been practiced for thousands of years 鈥 has been shown to reduce anxiety and worry, increase alertness and productivity, decrease self-criticism and improve your sense of identity, according to by Edmund J. Bourne. The great thing about meditation is that it鈥檚 short enough to integrate into your workday 鈥 as Serovich points out, many exercises are only a couple of minutes long. Carve some time out of your lunch break or swivel your chair and close your eyes after a particularly draining meeting.
To get started, Serovich recommends the free meditation app Insight Timer. Other popular, paid apps include Calm and Headspace.
Pro tip: Practice meditation a few times before you try it at work.
5. Always Check the Facts
These days, it鈥檚 easy to be overwhelmed by the state of the world. 鈥淵ou have news coming at you 24/7,鈥 says Serovich. And let鈥檚 be honest 鈥 much of it isn鈥檛 good. How do you cope?
- Unplug when you can, and avoid doom scrolling 鈥 especially before bed.
- Take constructive action to address issues you care about. 鈥淭rust that other people will contribute as well and work towards a solution for that particular problem,鈥 Serovich says.
- Fact check information: A lot of the information we ingest, particularly through social
media, is inaccurate, which 鈥渟parks anxiety,鈥 explains Serovich. So before you react
to anything, check it against other reliable sources.
4. Talk to a Friend
鈥淥ftentimes, people find great benefit just talking to a friend,鈥 Serovich says. But how do you know whether you can trust that friend with your experience? By 鈥渟lowly testing it out,鈥 she explains. Try saying something simple, like 鈥淪ometimes I feel anxious at work. Do you ever feel that way?鈥 See how they respond 鈥 if they share some vulnerability with you themselves or react in an affirming, supportive way, then you can 鈥渟lowly open the door [with a] back and forth type of dialogue to see how far the person may be willing to talk.鈥
Reach out to help people that you see struggling, too. If you notice a coworker is having a hard time, you can ask something like, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 seem yourself. Are you okay?鈥 Not only does this compassion help the other person 鈥 鈥渋t helps us, too,鈥 Serovich says.
Don鈥檛 be afraid of an uncomfortable conversation. For example, you may end up needing to ask your friend, 鈥淒o you have thoughts of suicide?鈥 If the answer is yes, you can encourage them to call the Crisis Center鈥檚 211 hotline. Or you can in advance and ask advice for how to communicate to your friend or co-worker who is struggling.
鈥淓ven though we may feel uncomfortable, and even though we may get it just a little wrong, it鈥檚 okay,鈥 Kwasnicki says. 鈥淭he fact that somebody is there with us, sitting with us, talking with us about our issues, coming from a place of genuine care and compassion 鈥 that鈥檚 all that鈥檚 needed. Everything else will fall into place.鈥
Remember that it鈥檚 not your job to fix someone else鈥檚 problems, however. Your goal
is to simply show compassion and perhaps connect your friend with some of the resources
from this blog post.
3. Take Advantage of Your Company鈥檚 EAP Program
is often part of a full benefits package. It gives you free, confidential access to licensed, professional counselors who can help you with whatever you鈥檙e struggling with 鈥 including financial stress, mental health issues, relationship struggles, health management, and work conflicts.
You might feel worried that your company will have access to your conversation with
the EAP counselor 鈥 but don鈥檛 be. Whether the program is internal to the company or
external, an EAP must abide by HIPAA regulations. They can鈥檛 even tell your employer
that you鈥檝e reached out to them. The EAP might ask for some general, anonymous data,
but this is to help identify if there鈥檚 a unit in the company that鈥檚 struggling or
to report how many people the program helped that month. If you have any concerns,
鈥測ou can ask for what your rights are in terms of answering questions,鈥 says Serovich.
2. Talk to a Therapist
If your company doesn鈥檛 offer an EAP program, or if you want a service that goes beyond what the EAP provides, consider making an appointment with a mental health counselor.
鈥淭herapy is a good thing,鈥 says Serovich. She recommends it for everyone 鈥 even if you are not struggling with a serious problem, you can 鈥渇ind benefit from a few sessions in therapy.鈥
How do you ?
- You can ask your primary care doctor for a referral or a friend for a recommendation.
- You can search for a provider through reliable websites such as the , the , the , and the .
- Your insurance website, if applicable, might list therapists who are covered by your plan.
- You can look up more information about potential therapists on Psychology Today and
read reviews on sites such as .
1. Call a Hotline
You might think that a crisis hotline isn鈥檛 meant for you 鈥 maybe you really aren鈥檛 in crisis enough to use it. What counts as a crisis, after all? Will you be taking up space meant for someone else if you call?
Kwasnicki encourages you to call: 鈥淭here is no space that you鈥檙e filling up. There鈥檚 dozens and dozens of intervention specialists. That鈥檚 what they鈥檙e there for. That鈥檚 why we exist, so no one has to face crises alone. If you feel that you鈥檙e alone, that鈥檚 enough to call. If you feel that you do not have the resources, inner or outer resources, for you to navigate whatever crisis you鈥檙e facing, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for.鈥
Here are some benefits of calling a crisis hotline:
- The crisis hotline acts not only as suicide prevention, but also 鈥渁s a resource connection,鈥 says Kwasnicki. The person answering your call is a trained, intervention specialist who can connect you to what you need 鈥 with or without insurance 鈥 from therapy to social services to help with food or clothing.
- You can call 211 anytime 鈥 someone is waiting to talk to you 24/7.
- It鈥檚 completely free, and 鈥測ou can call as many times as you want,鈥 says Kwasnicki.
- It鈥檚 confidential.
- You can also call the , which will connect you to your local 211 crisis center.
If you found these tips useful, you鈥檒l love USF鈥檚 free course addressing mental health in the workplace. USF has partnered with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay to offer a seven session class that you can complete at your own pace. If you鈥檇 like a digital badge and certificate from the USF Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education, you can choose to pay a $179 fee.