The corporate world can be brutal, with employees under constant client pressure, working overtime, and many times even donating weekends to meet deadlines. There's no doubt that every small and big private firm demands a lot and unlike abroad, there's no limited working ours and fixed off. Harish C. Rijhwani, the author of '9 to 5 Cubicle Tales', in his book mentions that over work and no break with constant pressure affects our mental health. We spoke to the author, who has written and spoken extensively on corporate work culture and how one can ensure a healthy mental space while balancing work and personal life. Here are five basic points to know.
Connecting With People:
One of the biggest challenges I have seen is people fear speaking their minds, especially with our managers. There might be many reasons for the same, but if we don't speak out or share what is bothering us, it will keep eating us on the inside. It would help if you spoke with someone you are comfortable with; it could be anyone, someone your senior, or even a friend in another team. If you are a manager, make it a point to speak with your team members 1-1 once in a while, probably every six months.
Take Some Time Off:
Most of us accumulate most of our leave and take pride in it when we lose them all at the year-end. In most organisations, there's no leave encashment policy either. My point is that many of us take pride in not availing any personal leaves (PL). We even brag about it by saying, "We don't like taking any leaves." I am sorry, but even Virat Kohli needed time out from all the pressure for a month to get back into the groove of scoring runs. Some organisations have a policy requiring employees to take five days of mandatory personal leave.
Exercise and Be Physically Active:
Being physically active, especially in a sedentary job, is highly important. Therefore, we need to exercise regularly and daily. Even a thirty-minute walk every day will help your physical body and also helps reduce the stress on your mind.
Learn a New Skill:
Try to learn something new, possibly something not related to your work, like music or cooking. By doing so, you will be able to meet new people and get some additional self-confidence.
Sleep well:
Another important aspect of mental health is getting enough sleep. In general, a good night's sleep rejuvenates your body and mind. One thinks better when one sleeps well.
