How To Protect Your Mental Health in Toxic Job Environment

Therapy @GainingGraceLLC

When we are going to work in a negative work environment it can take a toll on us mentally, emotionally and physically. Often times we might feel stuck in a cycle of continuously having to show up in order to maintain our finances regardless of how the job may be negatively impacting us. It feels like the only way out could be to find a new job which is also often a defeating task in today's job market. There are some things that we can do in order to help ourselves along the way.

Back to the Basics

Sleep/Diet/Exercise

When we are not feeling well, a good place to start is our physical health because it is often times easier to notice. We can be mindful of how we are sleeping, eating and moving. 

We can take notice of our sleep. Are we feeling rested upon waking, Are we getting enough hours of sleep, are we waking in the middle of the night or having difficulty falling asleep. If we are having difficulty with sleep often times that will affect other areas of our lives. No-one likes being tired and we need rest to function properly.

We can take notice of our diet. If we are feeling fatigued and bloated it could be coming from how we are fueling our body. Are we fueling our body with enough foods? Are we fueling our bodies with whole foods? If our gut is unhealthy, that too can bleed into other areas of our lives and continue to affect us mentally, emotionally and physically.

Thirdly, we can take notice of how we are caring for body and moving our body. Do we regularly move, exercise or get steps in? Exercise is the one of the few self care activities that instantly makes us feel better afterwards. It improves our mental health by releasing happy chemicals in our brain and gives us more clarity in our decision making.

Boundaries

Big companies continue to ask more and more of us, often times without more compensation. We can create boundaries around what is the job description so that we can have clarity knowing what is expected and feel good about doing the job well without continuing to bend over backwards. When we continue to bend on our boundaries, for example: staying late without being paid, that will continue to build irritation and resentment. When we stick to our boundaries, for example: my apologizes, I cannot stay outside of my scheduled hours,” we protect our mental health. It may be uncomfortable, especially if we struggle with people pleasing tendencies and a core belief of not feeling good enough. It will become more comfortable and we will feel better prioritizing ourselves and advocating for ourselves. We do not want to risk becoming resentful and then not feeling good about the work that we are doing.

Quiet Your Mind

Outside of work it is important that we allow ourselves a full reprieve if possible. A break from checking the work phone and checking emails. We can find self care activities that help us quiet our mind. Our mind cannot be quiet and having anxious thoughts at the same time. When our mind is quiet it offers us a reprieve from anxious thoughts and allows us more clarity.

Implement Joy

It is important that we are asking ourselves if we are experiencing joy in our daily lives and if we are not, beginning to implement that back in our lifestyle. Our routine cannot be made up of commitment and responsibility. We need to be enjoying our lives too. What brings you joy and how are you implementing that into your daily and weekly routine?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Hey, I'm Brooke -- I'm a licensed anxiety and addiction therapist serving individuals, adolescents, and couples in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida. My experience brings both a personal and professional perspective to the work that I do with my clients. If you are interested in learning more about the therapy process and would like to schedule a free consultation, I would love to schedule a free, ten-minute phone consultation with you!