Fighting Workplace Depression

Do you find yourself dreading going to work? Have you ever called in sick when you were not, just to avoid going in? Does it take you far too long to finish simple tasks? I’ve been there. In fact, I’ve dealt with much more than this. I recently published an article on my #ProjectHelpYouGrow website (link referenced below) detailing my own bout with this topic.

For LinkedIn, I have decided to write a shorter version, focusing more on just the workplace issues and hope it is a help to any who like I have, struggle with anxiety, negativity, toxic work environments and undiagnosed bouts of workplace depression.

For the record, I am not a medical doctor or psychotherapist. I simply am speaking as a layman from my own practical experiences and ask you to take it for what it is worth. If you have any serious issues, please consult a medical professional.

My Own Trouble at Work

If you’re struggling at work and living through a rough patch, you’re not alone. Like you, I have lived through two prolonged difficult work experiences. The two situations for me were completely different however they both were living nightmares. 

The first scenario was interesting in that I answered directly to the owner of the company. He told me that he was the rightful owner of my home, my car and everything I owned. He felt that way because I used the money he paid me to pay for it all. He was not kidding. He literally treated me like I was his property. The verbal abuse and disrespect were unbearable.  

The second difficult work experience was worse, far worse for me in that the culture was toxic before I got there and somehow, I was poisoned before I even got started. My staff, coworkers and those I reported to all treated me with hostility. It was not what I was expecting, and I had sold out everything to move to there just for that opportunity. I stayed and fought as hard as I could to make it work, but in the end, it’s very hard to fix a toxic environment, especially one you didn’t create, unless you have the buy in from the ownership group. Unfortunately, the ownership group in this case didn’t seem to care. The issue was not a secret and there was no internal veneer hiding the discord. They simply left me to face the fire alone. It was an impossible to win scenerio for me and eventually I realized I simply had to get out.

Warnings to Monitor

·      Sunday night anxiety. If you start to clam up and even get irritable the closer you get to bed time on Sunday, the odds are you don’t enjoy your job.

·      Do you find yourself living for the weekend? In other words, you can’t wait until Friday at 5:00pm and by 5:01 you are in your car already out of the parking lot. 

·      Are you struggling with your weight? If I’m struggling with my weight, I know something in my life is off. If you’re like me and you’ve put on a lot of extra pounds, perhaps you’re eating to mask the pain from something in your work life that is not going well. 

·      Drinking in excess. Most enjoy a beer or a drink on occasion. If you’re slamming down drinks to numb the pain, especially on any consistent basis, you need to get in and talk to someone.

·      Insubordinate attitude towards management. If listening to your boss is irritating, or having conversations is regularly turning into an argument, you surely have an issue that needs attention. Letting this build can be very dangerous. Better to find a new job, even if it pays less than to end up doing something that can land you in jail and ruin your career.

·      Flirting with or having an affair with coworkers. I can’t judge here. I’ve had this issue in my distant past. If you value your job, you should avoid any office romances and that starts by staying completely professional. In today’s heightened sexual harassment environment, you could lose your job in a heartbeat. Love and lust should stay in a separate realm, so if you’re entrenched in a dangerous web, do what you need to do to step out of it.  

·      Physical altercations with customers or coworkers. I hope this one is obvious but unless you’re working for a gym of some kind and MMA is what your company offers, fighting is not only self-destructive, it can wind up with serious legal consequences, lawsuits and ruin your chance of being hired elsewhere.    

·      Stealing from your employer. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. If you find your stealing, you need to get help.

·      Neglecting your assignments. This is something that perhaps most people don’t think of but paralysis, doing nothing, especially when you have assignments you need to do, is a flashing beacon of light, telling you that you need to make a change or address an issue.

·      Taking illegal drugs. Much like the drinking, illegal drugs to mask pain or cope is a warning sign that should not be ignored. Get help!

·      Calling in sick when you are not. Most have probably called in sick when the weren’t to do something fun, in fact at my work we call it PTO (Personal Time Off) not sick time, so you can take it to do fun things. If you’re using your sick time to avoid work, but have no other plans, time to look in the mirror and ask why.

·      Lying to your employer. This can be a big one, or small one depending on your personality. If you are honest to a fault and find yourself lying to cover things up, then this is a big deal and you need help. If you’re normally one to stretch the truth on a daily basis, you might have a harder time discerning this one.

·      Looking for another job while you’re supposed to be working. This is a form of stealing. If you are getting paid to work, you owe it to your employer to do the job they pay you to do. If you’re not happy, there are websites like https://ProjectHelpYouGrow.com to help you find a job, but please do it when you’re not clocked in. In a world of dishonesty, be known for having integrity.

Final Thoughts and Additional Information

If you find yourself struggling with any of these things, you should consider talking to someone and perhaps it is time to move along to another work opportunity. If you are miserable, you might be happy with a fresh start. My life is much better away from the two awful employment situations I described above. My current employer treats me with respect and the environment is healthy. Certainly, work is a four letter word for a reason, not every hard work environment is a bad one just because the work isn’t easy. Therefore, learning the warning signs is so important. I hope this article help you. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions that I might be able to answer. Feel free to send me a direct message if you want to discuss anything in private.

If you want to know what I do to help counter the effects of negative emotions, and/or you might like to see how I have also dealt with depression from my personal life, find the full article I wrote about these things on #ProjectHelpYouGrow here: https://projecthelpyougrow.com/2019/07/21/thwarting-depression-before-it-sets-in/