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Deal with Depression at Work, Don't Let it Take a Toll on Your Performance

 The most salient fact of life is that not everything in your life works according to your plan. The worst-case scenario is when you are depressed at work. Today, I'm going to describe some tips that let deal with depression at work.

If you don't take full control of your depression, it will become a reason for your lousy performance at your workplace. It's vital to nip this evil in the bud at the very start because the situation will go out of your hand day by day.

How to Deal with Depression in 5 Easy Ways

Let's find out about some ways you can try when you are feeling depressed at work.

  1. Get Medical Help

Whether you are experiencing anxiety every other day at work or facing depression for more than 2 months, it is suggested to see your doctor.  Job is essential, and taking steps forward in your career is undoubtedly the right thing to do. But paying less attention to your health and more care to your work won't help you enjoy any good in the long term.

what to do when you are depressed at work

  • Give priority to your mental health always. If you don't, then sooner or later, you will encounter a setback.

  • Taking anti-depression or anti-anxiety pills will help you stay focused at work. You won't get distracted by your inner bad feelings or overthinking. Your mind remains in your control, and you won't feel lost at work.

  • Some people prefer mental therapies over pills, which is another great thing you can try to deal with depression at work without medication. I like this method as it doesn't lead to a severe problem you might face i.e., drug addiction.

  1. Get Close to Nature

It might seem a little weird to you, but getting close to nature is a way to deal with stress at work. So, how exactly are you going to get close to nature at work? Here is what you can try.

  • Whenever you feel depressed at work and lose complete interest in a task, then all you have to do is to walk away from your desk. Just shut down all the work you are doing for a while and go out.

  • Go outside to get fresh air.Practice inhaling and exhaling. Stretch your arms, legs, and muscles a bit. You will feel a flow of positivity in your mind when fresh air touches your face and hair. It's like setting yourself free.

  • Instead of spending lunch hour in your office, you should make the most of this time. That means going out, sitting in a cafe or restaurant, or public park. Eat your meal, and get back to work.

  1. Find a Work-Friend Who Understands

It's not only you who experience depression at work, but many others might also feel the same way. We are all human beings who go through stressful life situations and incidents that affect our mental health and make us lose our entire focus on work.

handle depression at work by talking to a friend

  • All you have to do is to find a person who is like you. So, you both can talk on the same matter and find a way out. It's like having a depression support group at your workplace.

  • In case you don't find a person who experiences depression, then at-least find a colleague who stands by you when things go south for you. This work-buddy will understand you and help you at the time when you need him the most.

  1. Make a Depression-Management Work Plan

When you are depressed, it feels like you are nothing but a FAILURE; you achieved nothing in many years. You lost your self-esteem. Learn to boost your self-esteem at work.

As you are on the brink of melting down, so what you must have an effective depression management plan at work. The primary purpose of the plan is to go easy on yourself. Breaking down an impossible nature task into a small manageable job that you can do.

Don't listen to the criticism of others about your task. They don't know what you are going through. They understand nothing about your suffering, instead of confronting them. Just ignore your colleagues and managers who don't understand.

Do you have a workload to manage? Focus on Effective workload management tips.

 You are trying to get out of depression by handling your routine tasks. It's the best you can do to deal with depression at the workplace.

  1. Maintain a Good Self-Care Routine

The best way to deal with depression is to have a good routine and then to keep up with it every other day. Here is what you can do when you feel depressed at work.

Go with an anti-depression diet: When you feel lost, you don't like to get out of your office. So, what you usually do is to start eating packaged food like chocolate, cookies, biscuits, muffins, etc. Do you know that these things elevate your blood sugar level and make you feel more anxious than before?

  • The worst scenario of depression might make you skip your meal altogether. Remember, you need to feed yourself. Don't skip any meal.

  • When it comes to taking an excellent depression-fighting diet, try to focus more on Vitamin B related food and nutrition. You can either take Vitamin B supplements or enrich your diet plan with fresh leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, chicken, and eggs. Meal with a high source of B-12 and folic acid is recommended.

  • Mood swings are common outcomes of depression at work. Stabilize your mood by eating food rich in omega 3 fatty acids such as fatty fish, tuna, salmon, etc. Explore sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acid food.

Exercise is another thing to change your mood and drop down your anxiety level at work. Find a place where you can try some quick planks, sit-ups, lunges, squats, etc. Yoga and walking are the other two exercises you can do to enjoy a positive energy boost back, and thereby, you can maintain your work-life balance.

exercise at work and deal with life depression

My Final Thoughts 

Depression and stress is a common problem in the workplace. If you are facing it, then there is nothing to feel ashamed about. Instead, you can try the ways mentioned earlier to deal with your depression, so it doesn't take a toll on your work performance at all.

Must check: How to Deal with Job Search Depression.

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