Surely at some point in our working lives we have felt depressed just for purely work issues, or we are suffering now. An occupational depression is something more or less serious, since it is a whiting that bites its tail, since if there is no work there is no money and if there is no money, there is no rent, food, car, pets, vacations, etc. Throughout this text we are going to identify the symptoms, causes and current treatments of occupational depression.
The vast majority of us currently work, but there are those who do not work on what they are passionate about, or what it would not matter if they did not have a vacation because it is the work that motivates us every day to stay alive. In a job there are many factors, from the activity that is carried out, the schedule, the type of work, the posture, the demands, the superiors, the behavior of the colleagues, the pressure, etc. Little by little, all of this is taking its toll and if we don't like the job, that's when the problems begin, even affecting our mental health, our self-esteem, our personal lives and those around us.
Hey! Be careful here, work is one thing and personal life and free time is another, work depression can also appear if work is abused, no matter how much we are passionate about it.
What is work depression?
The work environment puts pressure on us and that creates physical and mental stress. After that, anxiety appears, that irrational fear of not being enough, of feeling easily replaceable, of losing a job, of not being on time, of asking for a vacation, of having a cold... In the end, depression arrives.
This situation is reached when we feel sadness, lack of motivation, decay, discouragement, disinterest, etc. If these feelings are associated with work, then it is when we can consider that we suffer from occupational depression, but we should not self-diagnose ourselves, but the right thing to do is to put ourselves in the hands of a specialist and have him determine our situation and advise what steps to take next, since there are many ways, and each one depends on the situation of each one.
Occupational depression is a compendium of feelings that are prolonged and maintained over time can develop more serious problems. Depression at work is something quite common, since the demands in the workplace are higher every day, but wages or conditions are not, with few exceptions that little by little are opening the eyes of the rest of the market and of the system.
What are the causes that cause it?
It is vitally important to detect the first symptoms in time, and for this we must know the causes that can lead us to suffer from occupational depression. A depression can be something silent, that is to say, that we do not see it coming or that we do not give importance to what surrounds us, for this reason it is key to know when we are suffering situations that can lead to job depression.
- A situation, project, approach, etc. that cannot be perfected and mastered and is always rejected.
- Lack of support and recognition.
- Demands above our possibilities.
- Lack of family and work reconciliation.
- That they deny us days of rest or vacations.
- That they cancel days that we already had approved in advance.
- Excessive control of our private life.
- Take away our freedom.
- Surveillance in social networks.
- Lack of promotion in the company.
- Impotence by not achieving the results that were imposed.
- Labor disputes.
- Suffer situations of workplace harassment.
- Labor conditions.
- Excessive self-demand.
- Not knowing how to say NO.
- Poor pay.
These are the symptoms of depression at work
Knowing the causes that have led us to feel so sad and down, now is when we can match those causes with our situation and see if it coincides or could coincide with a depression at work.
- alterations and sleep disorders.
- Fatigue.
- Reduced productivity.
- Lack of cooperation.
- Demotivation.
- Behavior changes.
- Physical changes.
- Feeling of deep sadness and prolonged in time.
- Inability to make decisions.
- Disinterest.
- Discouragement.
- Lack of concentration.
- Physical and mental fatigue.
- absenteeism
- Irritability.
- Anxiety for no apparent reason.
- Mood swings and aggressiveness.
It is not necessary to have them all, you can have one, because depression starts for a reason, but as we let it go, the ball gets bigger and the problem gets more complicated. It is normal for someone with diagnosed occupational depression to have at least 3 of these symptoms that we have listed. The most common is demotivation, followed by sleep disturbances, behavioral changes, and irritability.
What is to be done?
When it comes to serious mental problems such as depression, the best and most advisable thing is to detect it early and secondarily. ask for help immediately. Everyone knows the company they work for, knows their colleagues, knows the dynamics, how they usually react to complex situations like this, etc. Therefore, before communicating our condition to a superior or colleague, it is convenient to reflect, and it is best to go to a specialist to begin to heal ourselves.
Once we have the reports, go to work, explain the situation, tell how it has happened, since when, how we feel, what is happening to us, give options, talk, etc. We don't recommend walking in sulking and threatening to sue or anything like that. That attitude only works against us, for good reason that we have. If we want to quit the job, we quit, but never go under threat of lawsuit.
It will be the psychologist who determines the severity of our depression and recommends that we isolate ourselves, change jobs, give ourselves a break, take a vacation or ask for sick leave. Each solution will be given by the causes that have led us to this situation, it is not the same to suffer harassment at work, than to take 4 years and no matter how much we ask for a promotion, they do not give it to us.
How to prevent depression at work
There are a number of tips that we want to give to prevent depression at work. These tips serve everyone, even the youngest who are now starting their first work practices.
- Avoid bad working conditions, whether they are low wages, bad hours, that they do not let us reconcile family and work life, that they do not let us take vacations when we want, that they pay us in black, etc.
- Escape from work environments loaded with negativity, resentment, hatred, envy, jealousy, etc.
- Be clear that it is a job, and that we have to have a private life and free time.
- Do not mix, under any circumstances, personal and work life.
- Do not tolerate bullying.
- Sleep between 7 and 9 hours a day (without medication).
- Do sports constantly.
- Being a sociable person and making plans that entertain us.
- Do not self-medicate.
- Promote our self-esteem and our personal value.
- Surround ourselves with people who respect us, support us and love us.
- Control intrusive thoughts.
- Learn to say NO without feeling bad.
- Try to disconnect as much as possible in our free time.
- Look for options that help us fulfill ourselves as a person, such as language classes, babysitting, crafts, a photography course, writing a book, theater, etc.
- Do not take sleeping pills, drugs, or alcohol. If we see that work affects us at that level, ask for help and leave work.