How to tell if Your Work is Making you Depressed

It is a daily struggle for all of us to attend work. But, for some, the workload starts to bring them down. According to a study conducted by Center for Workplace Mental Health, Mental illness short-term disability claims are growing by 10 percent every year. In fact, the workplace is losing their workers in a very rapid growth due to depression. There has been an increase in workers showing the symptoms of “presenteeism”. Which means, the employers are present physically, but not mentally.

Symptoms

While some amount of stress is necessary for a good performance, an acute amount of stress is linked to depression and other diseases. Apart from stress below are other symptoms that can trigger depression:

• Loss of control: It is a feeling where one feels they have lost control. Loss of control can be related to not being able to handle the workload or changing the work culture. Also, when you cannot talk about these feelings to your supervisor or co-worker.
• Job Insecurity: Feeling that you can be fired anytime. Also, it can be triggered when you fear that you will lose your job if you address workplace issues.
• Irregular work hours and poor sleep: The constant schedule change is affecting your sleep cycle. It is not allowing to recover or get rest.
• Interference, Work-Life: Work is constantly keeping you engaged. Even when you are outside of work, you have to be in touch with your boss. Thus, this behavior is affecting the lives of your family.
• Discrimination or Harassment: Threatening environments are always an acute stressor. Facing workplace discrimination or harassment leads to depression.
• Different Values: If you are working in a place where you don’t like working, or it doesn’t match your values it can become a trigger for depression.

What to do?

Workplace stress is normal. According to Yerkes-Dodson, there is a required amount of stress to be able to perform. But, it is important to distinguish between stress and depression. When you are under acute stress, which is causing loss of sleep or it is getting very hard to get out of bed they might be some signs of depression.

Sometimes, withdrawal and laziness are there because the person is having difficulties to keep it together. In the face of depression, work becomes difficult. Read more to learn how to work in the face of Depression.

Apart from learning to get back on your feet, it is also important to know how to relax. Read more to learn few tips on how to Relax After Work.