What to do if you’re struggling at work

AUSTRALIA has a reputation for being a healthy country, with a deeply ingrained love of sport, nature and the outdoor lifestyle. But we are weak in areas of work/life balance.

Tired business woman at workplace in office, holding her head in hands. Overworking, making mistake, stress, depression concept

MENTAL health issues are the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work incapacity in Australia and the problem is driving people to suicide at an unprecedented rate.

Eight Australians die by their own hand each day: six of them men. For every person who succeeds, there are another 30 who attempt suicide, with 85,980 people in this country trying to take their own lives in any given year.

It is the most common cause of death in Australians aged 15-44, more likely to kill you than a motor vehicle accident or skin cancer.

A massive 20 per cent of suicides are linked to work.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE DEPRESSED AT WORK

• Talk to your boss. “Almost 50 per cent of the people we surveyed said if their boss asked ‘Are you OK?’ and they weren’t, they would not tell their boss,” Workplace Mental Health Institute founder Pedro Diaz told news.com.au in September.

That compares to 70 per cent who said that if a friend asked them the same question, they would be honest. “We spend most of our time at work and it can be a really good place. You can give to others and that can be good for your mental health,” Mr Diaz said.

• Take a few days off for a mental health holiday. “Do whatever helps you cope with your symptoms and re-group,” wrote author of Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis, Alexandra Robbins. “Really. It may mean the difference between maintaining your professional reputation and having a breakdown at the office.”

• Take a break from your desk and take a walk instead. A 2015 study by the University of Maryland deduces the smell of fresh flowers can boost your mood and promote relaxation. Notably, lavender and jasmine are great to relieve stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, Dr Nick Lavidis, a neuroscientist at the University of Queensland, found a chemical released from freshly cut grass makes humans calmer and happier.

• Think positive. Melody J. Wilding, who teaches human behaviour at The City University of New York, advised in a Ted talk earlier this year to focus on “progress, not perfection”. “You might rework your self-talk to sound more like ‘I am a work in progress, and that’s OK’, Melody said.

• Exercise. “Exercise leads to an increase in natural killer cells, neutrophils and monocytes, which ultimately increases immune function,” Ather Ali, ND, MPH, assistant director of Complementary/Alternative Medicine Research at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center told Health.com.

•Form relationships. According to the Mental Health Commission of NSW, trusting relationships can encourage and motivate us, help remove our doubts and fears, and give us hope in difficult situations. “Positive connections with family, friends and the wider community also helps individuals to better deal with life’s challenges,” it said.

Take a break from your desk if you are feeling stressed.

There are some great companies providing useful resources for employees.

Optus’ Healthy Minds program won the 2016 Mental Health Matters Award for best Mental Health Promoting Workplace in NSW, and claims that “in order to create a healthy workplace we need to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and encourage early support and intervention”.

Optus vice president human resources Vaughan Paul said its program aims to create a healthier workplace, improve work life balance for our employees, and ensure people who were unable to come to work due to injury or illness were better supported to get back to work more quickly.

One of its initiatives is a training program specifically designed for people leaders to help them identify mental health issues among their employees and get them access to support services. More than 900 leaders across Optus have completed this program

Mr Paul said the issue was something all businesses should take seriously.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our employees is a top priority. We believe happier employees are more productive and more creative; they have fewer illnesses and less time off work. For our customer facing employees, happy people leads to happy customers, so a focus on mental wellbeing absolutely makes business sense,” he said.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact:

Lifelineon 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service1300 659 467 for 24-hour Australian counselling services.

Beyondblue(1300 22 4636) for 24-hour phone support, online chat, resources and apps.

Workplace Mental Health Institute on 02 8935 3885.

Mindout for mental health and suicide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Kids Helpline1800 55 1800 — free confidential 24-hour counselling for young people aged 5 to 18.

Headspace offers online counselling for young people aged 12-25 andReachOut has online forums, chat and information about youth mental health.