Work-Related Mental Health: How Therapy Can Help

No matter our profession or level of experience, we all have bad days at work. It’s common to have stressful moments, especially when there’s a deadline looming or an important task that needs doing right away. It’s also normal to not love your boss, not get along with every coworker, or enjoy doing every aspect of your job.

Yet, most of us leave those feelings behind when we leave work and head home. But for some people, those issues can be so overwhelming that their job actually affects their mental health.

If you’re having mental health issues that stem from work, it may be time to see a therapist. Here are seven ways that therapy can help with work-related mental health issues. 

Therapy Can Help Reduce Anxiety

Are you always stressed out at work? Do you feel like there’s just too much on your plate and that you’ll never be able to accomplish everything expected of you? Do you have to mentally prepare yourself every morning just to get out of bed and do your job?

If your job is causing you anxiety, talking with a professional therapist can be a huge help. A therapist can help you uncover your fears and get to the root of what’s causing your anxiety and stress. They can also teach you problem-solving skills.

A therapist alone won’t make your anxiety disappear overnight. But they can arm you with some useful coping mechanisms so that you can deal with anxiety head-on rather than allowing it to build and get worse.

Therapy Can Help Resolve Conflicts

We’re all familiar with couples’ counseling as a way to resolve conflicts within a relationship. But a therapist can help you resolve disputes even if the person you’re conflicting with isn’t in the therapy session.

If you have constant or significant conflicts with a boss or coworker, a therapist can teach you better communication skills. By learning to communicate in new ways, you can completely change a relationship’s dynamic — even a tumultuous one.

Therapy Can Help You Feel Empowered

For some people, just deciding to begin therapy can create a feeling of empowerment. And with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy, you can really start to feel like you’re in control.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a specific type of treatment aimed at changing your mindset. First, you’ll learn that you alone have control over your own feelings. No one can make you feel something unless you allow yourself to feel it.

Second, you’ll learn how to identify and reject the thoughts and ideas that cause you to feel as if you don’t have control. Third, you’ll learn how to relax your mind and control those thoughts when they do creep in. 

The best way to boost yourself in the workplace is to develop skills that help you feel strong and empowered in every situation in life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective way to do so.

Therapy Can Help You Let Go of Your Need for Perfectionism

Many people put undue pressure on themselves to work harder or work longer hours. Perhaps it’s because you’re vying for a promotion. Maybe it’s because you’re hoping for a raise.

Whatever the reason, striving for perfectionism at work can have ramifications on your personal life as well as your professional life. The lack of a work-life balance can have a significant negative impact on your mental health.

If you feel the need to be a perfectionist, therapy can teach you how to let go of that need. A therapist can help you identify the reasons that cause you to want to reach perfectionism and talk through why you put that pressure on yourself.

Therapy can help you learn how to be less demanding of yourself.

Therapy Can Help Build Your Confidence

There are several reasons you may not feel confident at work, and feeling inferior to your peers can seriously impact your mental health. But it’s entirely possible that people aren’t judging you the way you think they are.

A therapist can help you rationalize and think through those emotions. They can help you identify triggers that cause you to experience those negative feelings of inferiority. Talking to a therapist can make you feel stronger and feel more in control.

This can help you build confidence, both mentally and emotionally, that you can benefit from both at work and home.

Therapy Can Help You Set Boundaries

Do you have a hard time saying no to your boss? Do you allow your coworkers or peers to dump unnecessary work on your plate simply because you don’t want to disappoint them? Are you the person that your boss can always rely on to work on the weekends, take calls at midnight, or respond to emails on holidays?

Setting boundaries is something that everyone must learn how to do in every situation. Without them, you’ll only bring more stress upon yourself.

In therapy, you can delve deep into childhood experiences and identify why you have trouble setting boundaries and saying no. Once you know why you struggle with setting boundaries, you can learn how to place them (and enforce them).

Therapy Can Help You Deal With Workplace Bullies

Bullies don’t just exist in schoolyards — they also exist in the workplace. And if you don’t know how to protect yourself against them, you’ll end up feeling like a victim.

A therapist can help you stop that victimization. They won’t be able to stop the bullies themselves, but they can teach you how to have the self-acceptance needed to ignore them. 

In therapy, you’ll learn that bullies only have power over you if you allow it.

Conclusion

If your workplace is affecting your mental health beyond the occasional stressful day, it may be time to consult with a therapist. The sooner you address mental health issues, the better.

Mental health and physical health go hand in hand. Take care of both and you’ll be a much happier and more productive person, both at work and in your home! 

Angus Flynn has five years of Property Management experience working primarily in high-end apartment community living. His ability to consistently deliver white-glove service to his residents and prospects has propelled him in a successful career that now finds him leading the team at Turtle Creek.