You feel as if you\u2019re wading through molasses, you find it difficult to make a decision and your ability to concentrate is shot.\u00a0\u00a0 Yep, you\u2019re feeling depressed.<\/p>\n
This could happen for any of a number of reasons.\u00a0\u00a0 In today\u2019s economic climate, it is not unusual to feel pressured about money and work.\u00a0\u00a0 This can be a vicious circle.\u00a0\u00a0 You feel insecure about your job, you get depressed and you find it harder to be an effective employee.<\/p>\n
Employers today are aware of this problem.\u00a0\u00a0 They see the loss of productivity and the absenteeism.\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s the lucky thing for you: The hiring process is an expensive one, and employee retention is actually very much a cost saving strategy.\u00a0\u00a0 Employers do not like high turnover if they can avoid it.\u00a0\u00a0 Since you want to do a good job and keep your job, what\u2019s the conscientious worker to do? First things first.\u00a0\u00a0 Get help.\u00a0\u00a0 Do something.<\/p>\n
Most large companies have an employee assistance program.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a program specifically designed to help employees experiencing problems in their personal lives that might be affecting their jobs.\u00a0\u00a0 These programs are strictly confidential, and will not reflect negatively on one\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
Getting help is completely crucial.\u00a0\u00a0 According to Dr.\u00a0 Maynard Brusman, a consulting psychologist with over 20 years\u2019 experience in the employment psychology field, doing nothing is dangerous.\u00a0\u00a0 The more you do nothing, the more likely you are to believe that you cannot do anything.\u00a0\u00a0 After a time, you can fall into a pattern of learned helplessness, believing that if you have done nothing that there is nothing you can do.\u00a0\u00a0 Nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
What can you do for yourself? I mean, even if you go to a counselor, that\u2019s only an hour a week.\u00a0\u00a0 So, what can you do?<\/p>\n
One of the very best things you can do is get some exercise.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t be annoyed because this is being thrown at you all the time! It\u2019s thrown at you all the time because it is true.\u00a0\u00a0 The human body is made to move, not sit behind a desk.\u00a0\u00a0 You genuinely need the chemicals your body produces in exercise.<\/p>\n
Exercise does not mean a red-line workout that makes you feel like you are going to throw up.\u00a0\u00a0 No, no, no.\u00a0\u00a0 Going for a nice walk counts here.\u00a0\u00a0 Get the heart rate up a little for 1\/2 an hour or so \u2013maybe break out in a sweat, but even that is not necessary.\u00a0\u00a0 You just want to make sure you move.\u00a0\u00a0 Even if you are in poor shape, just go walk slowly for a little while each day.\u00a0\u00a0 You will receive emotional as well as physical benefits.<\/p>\n
The reason \u201cgo out for a walk\u201d is so often touted as a Good Thing to Do is twofold.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s the exercise component that gives you a stronger body and floods you with mood enhancing chemicals, but there is the additional benefit of sunlight.\u00a0\u00a0 Sunlight is also a proven mood enhancer.\u00a0\u00a0 People who work in climate controlled buildings with no windows are going to be more susceptible to mood disorders related to light deprivation.\u00a0\u00a0 It is especially crucial for those of you with such issues to Get Outside on occasion, and a walk will do that for you.<\/p>\n
Keeping company with positive, upbeat people is also a good idea when you are feeling depressed.\u00a0\u00a0 You might feel like hiding from the world, but sometimes getting by yourself and stewing is only going to reinforce negative thought patterns.\u00a0 Feed your mind with positive things.\u00a0\u00a0 Play upbeat music.\u00a0\u00a0 Wear colors that encourage a brighter mood.\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on activities that give pleasure.<\/p>\n
Eating right is also important when you\u2019re suffering from depression.\u00a0\u00a0 Stress takes its toll on the body, and doing what you can to keep your body healthy will make it easier to cope.\u00a0\u00a0 Do your best to eat a good, balanced diet – especially making sure you get enough of the B vitamins.\u00a0\u00a0 These vitamins are useful in combating stress and elevating mood.\u00a0\u00a0 Foods high in B vitamins include dried beans, whole grains, fish, dairy products, poultry, eggs, bananas and avocados.\u00a0\u00a0 Remember that peanut butter and banana sandwich you ate as a child? When you make it, be sure to use natural peanut butter on whole wheat bread and you have yourself some real, healthy comfort food that is high in B vitamins and will help you to cope with depression.<\/p>\n
What do you do if your work performance is suffering? That certainly can and does happen when you\u2019re having a problem with depression at work. One of the most important things to do is to lay out a plan.\u00a0\u00a0 Break tasks into small, manageable units -say fifteen minutes.\u00a0\u00a0 Even when you\u2019re down in the dumps, you can file for fifteen minutes, or read a report for fifteen minutes, then take a break and make some notes.\u00a0\u00a0 This helps to keep you in control and helps to prevent procrastination, a serious problem in a depressed employee.<\/p>\n
Some workers use calendaring programs or timers to break up their day and their tasks.\u00a0\u00a0 This not only keeps you focused on the tasks at hand, but can be a distraction from negative feelings.\u00a0\u00a0 The one caution here is that you do not overwhelm yourself in a situation where you might already feel overwhelm.\u00a0\u00a0 Schedule breaks for yourself and be realistic about what you can accomplish.\u00a0\u00a0 The whole point of breaking down tasks into small segments is to prevent being overwhelmed.\u00a0\u00a0 Donit cram your calendar so full that it is impossible to get anything done.\u00a0\u00a0 This will contribute to negative feelings rather than alleviate it.\u00a0\u00a0 Prioritizing is essential.<\/p>\n
I keep a list of \u201cI don\u2019t feel like it\u201d tasks -little, quick things that do need to be done and can be handled easily.\u00a0\u00a0 When I am feeling a bit stressed out or unable to cope, I do one of these little tasks.\u00a0\u00a0 Being able to cross something off my to-do list tends to restore my faith in my ability to cope.\u00a0\u00a0 Any little ten-minute thing that does not take a lot of brainpower but has a small positive effect is a good thing.\u00a0\u00a0 For myself, organizing something tends to improve my mood.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll clean my desk, or straighten one small file drawer.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a fairly individual thing.\u00a0\u00a0 The only real rule is to make sure that it is one small thing, and that it is not something urgent or something that causes you stress or pressure.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s important to make the list beforehand.\u00a0\u00a0 Then, when you\u2019re feeling depressed and find thinking difficult, you have a plan.<\/p>\n
Talk to your employer about accommodation that will help you in your depression issues.\u00a0\u00a0 It is possible that she will be sympathetic.\u00a0\u00a0 Employers prefer employees who are proactive, so taking steps to solve your problems reflects positively on you.<\/p>\n
Amy, a bookkeeper in a music store, is being treated for depression and is on a medication.\u00a0\u00a0 Her employer knows that Amy has a problem with depression and is willing to work with her -giving her flexibility in hours and is willing to keep lines of communication open.<\/p>\n
The unfortunate truth is that an employer is not always so accommodating.\u00a0\u00a0 Julian, a former employee at a health food store, had this to say:<\/p>\n
At my place of employment, there were perfectly pleased to have an employee in the herbs and supplements department who could speak from experience on the various remedies for anxiety and depression, and they were perfectly willing to encourage the product reps to give me freebies, but when it came to actually working with me to let me have a schedule that would allow me to spend a reasonable amount of time with my family \u2013 forget it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What do you do in this situation?<\/p>\n
Remember the problem with learned helplessness.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t fall into that.\u00a0\u00a0 Taking proactive action is crucial to your personal health as well as your career.\u00a0\u00a0 Julian\u2019s choice was to get training to become a baker \u2013 a job that has a schedule that gave her time with her family.\u00a0\u00a0 She also sought out a position in which she was able to have a wider range of choice in her own work and minimal customer contact. Both Amy and Julian had different work situations and different methods for coping with the problem.\u00a0\u00a0 This is often an individual and subjective thing, which is one of the reasons that getting help is a good idea.\u00a0\u00a0 A good therapist will help you tailor your solutions to your own individual needs.\u00a0\u00a0 While depression is a difficult problem, it is not a hopeless situation.\u00a0\u00a0 As always, taking care of yourself is the key.\u00a0\u00a0 If you cannot handle the big stuff, take little positive actions.\u00a0\u00a0 They will have a net effect.\u00a0\u00a0 But whatever you do, try to keep going.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You feel as if you\u2019re wading through molasses, you find it difficult to make a decision and your ability to concentrate is shot.\u00a0\u00a0 Yep, you\u2019re feeling depressed. This could happen for any of a number of reasons.\u00a0\u00a0 In today\u2019s economic climate, it is not unusual to feel pressured about money and work.\u00a0\u00a0 This can be … <\/p>\n