How do I stay mentally healthy at work? When does stress make you sick? What can I do in the job to stay mentally healthy? And how do I recognize the first signs of burnout in myself and my colleagues?.

Non-stop meetings, tight deadlines and then taking over the project from a sick colleague at short notice … The stress level in our work life is extremely high for many. You can take it for a while, but when does it get too much? How do I stay mentally healthy at work?.

Burnout risk: when does stress make you sick?

Basically, stress is a vital process that warns us of dangers, activates, and protects us. The problem with it: If it doesn’t stop, it makes us sick. And that happens faster than you would expect: “You know from studies with IT students who often work on projects that the system starts to overturn after two weeks of constant stress. You sleep less well, you don’t wake up so relaxed and you don’t do your job so well. ”Of course, this is also stressful and a dangerous downward spiral begins.

“After 2 weeks of constant stress, the system starts to tip over.”

Bad for mental health: stressors at work!

But what is it that stresses us so much about work? From Carola’s experience, the most common factors in the job are interruptions, meetings – and most recently – digital stress. In addition, there is the feeling of not being valued, not being seen, and receiving too little support from managers and colleagues. “We want to be seen, that is one of the basic psychological needs. In the home office is difficult. ” Executives are therefore especially in remote Leading required inside to be there for their employees *.

“We want to be seen, that is one of the basic psychological needs.”

A performance society and competitive thinking in the job promote burnout

But that is often not that easy. In our working world, health and well-being are often given a secondary priority in favor of efficiency and productivity. This is due on the one hand to the consciously promoted competitive situation within some companies, and on the other hand to a way of thinking that we have acquired, which makes us more seductive to overload. Keyword “ performance society ”: “We wouldn’t be so susceptible to unhealthy ways of working if we didn’t have the inner voice that tells us: But something is better at work than being able to take a break. Performance on the job is more important than anything else, which makes us easy to exploit, How do I stay mentally healthy at work?.

“Hardly any managers are trained in the basics of psychosocial health.”

What companies should do to break this vicious circle is to train managers, because: “Hardly any managers are trained in the basics of psychosocial health or stress reduction in a team. Training in agile work and the like are quite normal, but very few learn how healthy leadership works. “

Recognize signs in colleagues

And many managers, but also employees, know too little about the first signs of stress-related overload. Changes in behavior are a good indication of this, explains Carola: “If a really well-balanced, calm colleague suddenly becomes quick-tempered or, conversely, a very impulsive or communicative colleague suddenly very calm and withdrawn, then these can be the first indications that something not true. Whenever you have the feeling that someone is somehow strange, somehow different, then you should talk about the current workload and the state of health. “

At the same time, we tend to do more of the same in stressful situations, explains the expert: “Managers notice when employees suddenly become controlling and show a lot of commitment: People who like to take on responsibility than take on even more people Those who like to help are looking for more closeness and want to get involved everywhere, those with a tendency to perfection want to make everything even better. “

Staying mentally healthy: acting paradoxically helps

Outsiders even notice an impending overload in some cases before those affected. Our internal stress system is to blame, explains the biologist: “Our stress system senses danger in such situations and phases and says: You have to go through it. But in most cases, our working life is not about life and death. So you have to trick your inner voice and act paradoxically. Different than the feeling tells me. We know this from our eating habits, for example, Our cravings, our instincts often do not lead us in the healthy direction, but to the bag of chips. The head has to be stronger and say no. It’s similar to stress. “

“In most cases our working life is not about life and death.”

Acting paradoxically in the case of stress at work means, especially when there is a lot going on, consciously indulging in rest. “Especially on days when there is a lot going on, I take a lunch break or go jogging in the evening to metabolize the stress hormones,” recommends Carola. “ Movement helps a lot. But also the small breaks in between, which help us to maintain a healthy balance. “

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About The Author

Mohamed Firnas

“🌟 Meet Mohamed Firnas: With over two decades of experience in HR, Mohamed is a trusted advisor known for his strategic insight and compassionate leadership style. He’s committed to creating workplaces where every voice is heard and valued. 💼 Passionate about nurturing talent and driving positive change. Join him on the journey towards building better organizations! #HRProfessional #GulfRegion #Leadership”

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