Work & Mental Health

 Dealing with your mental health problems is hard. 

Like I said in my previous blog post, talking about it can lighten the load. It can take a few pounds of your shoulders. But it will still be hard and it will also be hard work.

If on top of that you are also still at work, then that will probably not make it easier. Making smalltalk with colleagues, deadlines to catch, meetings to go to, stress, responsibilities, even the commute to and from work can be hard. 

There is always the question do I tell my worklife about my struggles or do I not? Will they understand or will they judge - not only your colleagues, but also your teamleader, bosses, HR,.... What do you tell them? Will you be honest or will you act like nothing is wrong? 

The anwers are not straightforward. There are certain things you have to take into consideration. 

• Do you feel confident to speak about it? Have you already come to terms with being able to admit you have mental health issues?
• What's the work envirenmont like? Are your colleagues compassionate, sympathetic or are they mean, unkind, vicious,... 
• How's the bond with your boss and what are they like? 
• If the conversations end up with talking about mental health, what are their opinions? How someone voices something can tell you a lot about how they feel. 

In the end you have to go with your gut. Try to not be afraid.

I am the lucky one in this case. I have amazing co-workers, awesome teamleaders and even a pretty great organisation I work for. When I spoke up about my struggles, they all have been very compassionate, caring, kind, accommodating,... I couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. Since then a few of my co-workers also talked about their struggles with their (mental) health. It really brought us closer as a team.