Don’t be ashamed about your mental health

In a previous job I experienced bullying at work which affected my mental health. At my worst, I would come home everyday and cry about work. My self esteem began to suffer and even though I was getting compliments about my work from co-workers, my bully kept humiliating me in front of colleagues and eventually I left.

As a result of my stress, depression and anxiety I had to see a counsellor to help rebuild my confidence – this sparked a dream to create a career counselling business for women who are unhappy at work, which I run now.

Don’t be ashamed of experiencing mental health problems. Poor mental health affects many more people than we realise. At first I was embarrassed to admit I wasn’t mentally OK but I realised if I didn’t get support from a GP, counsellor or friends and family I would be stuck there.

I make sure I now do certain things to keep my mental wellbeing in check. This includes activities like exercise, meditation, keeping a journal, writing and being outdoors. I am now in a good place in my life but it hasn’t been easy. My biggest lesson has been to love yourself even with the scars that people can’t see. Because eventually those scars will heal.
Soma Ghosh, careers counsellor, London

If you are in an unhealthy situation, get help or get out

The rural hospital where I worked was failing and our team was desperately working to try and save it. I felt an overwhelming personal responsibility and fault. Stress, anxiety, depression and ultimately burnout consumed my personal life and took a toll on my health and relationships. I turned to food for solace and gained more than 30kg. I was physically and mentally drained.

If you are in an unhealthy environment you can’t handle, you need to get help or get out. Make a conscious effort to separate your work from your personal life. Learn how to meditate, then do it every day. Deliberately invest time and money in improving you, it will boost your productivity and save you money in the long term. Set personal health goals for both your physical and mental wellbeing.
Anonymous customer service worker, Florida

We need to understand what drives the way we feel

I’ve only just began to realise that I’ve suffered with mental health for most of my life. It’s always been manageable, and I’ve always been well enough to be able to convince myself that it would pass. To those sitting around me now as I type, I’m a happy, outgoing, fully functioning adult, and they’re not necessarily wrong. But what they don’t know is that I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression for over a year now, and I’m currently taking antidepressant medication.

Work has definitely exacerbated the situation – bad management, lack of direction within the business, poor decision making by leaders, unreasonable deadlines, unfair pay and internal politics. And then there’s life generally. Marital issues, house renovation, finances, children, family. But there’s much more to it than that. It’s hard to know sometimes which one feeds the other; are all these things causing depression, or is depression the reason I can’t cope with them?

We all need to better understand what drives the way we feel. Only then can we realistically start to safely uncurl ourselves from that awkward, uncomfortable position we’ve got into. Get yourself a good doctor, get yourself a good therapist, speak to your closest friend. It’s not so much about getting support with life tasks, it’s about gaining a deeper understanding of oneself, which comes from talking and listening. It’s so we can figure out what the hell we need to do for our minds to achieve optimum function. In terms of practical advice, mindfulness and meditation can help. Go for a walk. Listen to a podcast. Read a book at lunch. The real changes will come when you talk to others, but I know it’s not always easy to do.
Anonymous communications worker, 32, Manchester

There is still a lot of prejudice around mental health at work

I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety while at work which have followed periods of work-related stress. This was due to high or demanding work volume and lack of management.

Unfortunately, despite a lot of publicity around mental health, I know from personal experience there is still a lot of prejudice and people are willing to cover up obvious unfair treatment towards people with mental health issues. If you tell your employer, it is important to ask for written confirmation of any discussion held and be aware of what your rights are. Speak to any external support you can find for guidance.
Anonymous, London

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