What is work-related depression?

Work-related depression is one of the most common forms of depression. It occurs when your mood and feelings affect your job, workplace, or work environment.

Workplace depression usually involves depression symptoms that are triggered by specific events or situations at work. Workplace depression is often called "presenteeism" because it can interfere with your ability to get your job done.

You may find it hard to concentrate and feel fatigued, even though you get enough sleep.

You may also feel like you want to quit your job or dread going to work each day.

Workplace depression differs from general depression because it typically doesn't include a loss of interest in activities that used to give you pleasure or a change in your appetite or sleeping patterns.

Stop depression from impacting your career direction negatively

The future of your career is about more than a job title and a paycheck. It’s about your values, identity, and contribution to society.

In my experience, people are more likely to feel confident about their jobs when they understand how they fit into the bigger picture of their lives.
Sadly, if not managed effectively, depression can interfere with this understanding. As an example, You might have trouble identifying your values and purpose, leading to a lack of clarity about what matters to you. This can cause you to question your commitment and motivation at work.

When you have a clear sense of your values and purpose, you can create the conditions for success in your career despite feeling depressed at work. You become more focused and resilient as you can make choices that help you achieve meaningful goals.

It is also crucial to understand how your current job, which you may dislike, fits your values. This helps you to feel better able to push through the unappealing aspects of your work and have your sights set on how your current job is helping you move closer to your vision of success.

Depression is a powerful illness. It can make you feel like you don’t have any control over the decisions you make, and it can affect your ability to think clearly and make good decisions.

But depression isn’t a death sentence. It can be treated, and you can get better.

As you read through this article, you will begin to understand exactly how to take charge of your depression to have a successful career.

What are common risk factors for depression at work?

Could unclear risk factors increase your likelihood of getting depressed?

Depression is a painful experience. It is a symptom of something greater going on within you. Maybe you are going through tough times. You are in the middle of a divorce or job loss, financial crisis, health issues or just due to your genetic predisposition. Whatever the cause of your depression, it is important to be aware of the risk factors because knowing the source of your depression will help you to take control of it.

Ignoring these common risk factors will only make your situation worse.

That said, common risk factors for depression at work include:

• Lack of job satisfaction
• Low pay or poor benefits
• Feelings of powerlessness or unfairness
• Stressful working conditions
• A lack of support and understanding from colleagues and management.
• Lack of control over work.
• Feelings of isolation and loneliness.
• Feeling trapped at work.
• Being made redundant or laid off.
• Poor pay and benefits.
• Working long hours.
• Poor working environment.
• Low morale.
• Conflict with coworkers.
• Conflict with supervisors.
• Conflict with clients/customers.
• Not feeling appreciated by management.
• Low job satisfaction
• Workplace bullying
• Job insecurity
• Poor physical environment
• Lack of control over one's work environment
• Lack of control over work schedule
• Lack of opportunities for advancement
• Low job satisfaction
• Workplace stress
• Feeling underappreciated at work
• Not having a manager who cares about your well-being
• Excessive workload
• Unclear goals
• No job security
• Financial pressure
• Conflict at home or in personal relationships

What are the signs of work depression?

Common signs of depression at work include:

When you are working at your job and feel depressed at work, you might be tempted to blame yourself for being unhappy at work.

Depressed feelings are normal in life. However, some people develop work depression when they are faced with a challenging work situation.

Here are some signs that your job may be affecting your mood:

1) You feel sad or blue.

When you feel sad or blue at work, it may be difficult to recognize that this is not normal.

People who suffer from work depression usually have feelings of sadness, anxiety, low energy, and irritability. They might feel a sense of hopelessness. And if they are feeling particularly bad, they may become agitated and experience anger.

2) You have difficulty making decisions.

In order to decide how to solve a particular situation at work, you might have trouble making a choice.

Sometimes, you may feel indecisive. Other times, you might feel that you are not able to come up with any ideas for how to solve a particular problem.

3) You are not able to complete your tasks.

You may feel frustrated and overwhelmed at work when you are unable to complete your tasks.

You may have difficulties focusing on a task, and you may feel as though you don’t really care about the task you’re working on.

4) You have difficulties sleeping at night.

If you are having trouble sleeping, it could be that your work is interfering with your sleep. If your job makes you feel stressed, it may be hard to sleep at night. And you may find yourself feeling irritable and anxious in the morning.

You may feel like your body is tired when you get out of bed in the morning. But you may not feel rested when you go to bed at night.

5) You are not happy at work.

If you are not happy at work, it may be because you don't like your job. You may feel like you are stuck in a dead end job. You may have a negative view of your career. Or you may just be dissatisfied with your current work situation.

You may also have trouble connecting with your colleagues. You may feel as though you have no support at work.

6) You feel as if your work is taking over your life.

Work has a major impact on our lives. When we feel as though our work is taking over our lives, we can develop a feeling of burnout.

It is important to try and strike a balance between work and family. You can’t give up everything to work.

 Is it depression or burnout?

It's hard to tell which one you might be dealing with because many people experience depression alongside burnout. However, depressive disorders are characterised by persistent sadness and feelings of worthlessness, whereas burnout involves emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of interest in work. 

In some cases, extreme burnout can also lead to feeling detached from oneself and other and this feeling of detachment can sometimes lead to feelings of hopelessness, low self-worth, and helplessness. Burnout typically increases when a person is overwhelmed by the demands of their job. However, the two conditions can be confused and coexist in an individual at different points in time.

It is more likely that what you are experiencing is burnout if your symptoms don't go beyond the following:

• Being asked to do something you cannot accomplish or being expected to do too much at once
• Not being given enough resources or support to complete tasks
• Too many hours spent in a role you don't enjoy
• Having little or no control over your work environment

It can take a long time to recognise that you've developed burnout because you often don't see the telltale signs until it is too late.

On the other hand, depression will make you feel much lower in your mood, and your thoughts will be gloomy and dark. You might feel like you don't want to do anything or get out of bed.

While both conditions feel quite similar, they can be distinguished from each other.

Depression is treated through therapy and medication. If you do decide to go on medication, it can take some time to see how it works.

Burnout is treated with time off and learning better management skills.

Why does it matter if it’s depression or burnout?

Cognitive behavioural therapy suggests that you don't differentiate between the two so you can choose the correct treatment to get well.

Fail to do this and...
 1) You could end up taking medications that you don't need. This can cause side effects like weight gain, sleep issues, loss of sex drive, and low energy. This would be an unnecessary added distress.

2) You could miss out on the opportunity to get the best help and advice that could improve your life and career.

3) Your employer could misinterpret your health issues as laziness or lack of commitment.

4) your work colleagues might think you’re lazy. It’s a bad reputation to carry around and can cost you opportunities or promotions.

5) Your colleagues may start to resent your inability to perform well due to depression.

6) You may not get any support or guidance on how to deal with work-related depression.

7) Your employer may not understand what’s happening and continue to treat you like an employee rather than a person. This can lead to a very unproductive workplace.

How to know if your job is making you depressed.

Mental illness is rarely a one-size-fits-all issue. It's possible that you're dealing with an illness, but that your job and the environment around you are exacerbating your depression. The goal is to figure out if your workplace is making you depressed, rather than just being sad or unhappy at home. This can be challenging because many times, your employer doesn't want to believe that you're suffering and you might feel pressure to keep it quiet.

You can tell that your job is making you depressed if you can say yes to at least 7 of these pointers.

- When you are having a difficult time getting up in the morning, because you don't feel like working.

- If you're having trouble concentrating at work.

- If your work involves doing things that you don't enjoy, like working long hours or doing repetitive tasks.

-If your work interferes with your life and you're unhappy with your pay or job security.

- If your work is emotionally draining

- if your job is affecting your sleep. You're having trouble sleeping at night

- If your physical health deteriorated every time you are at work and you have not been doing any physically strenuous activity.

- If your work is causing conflict in your family and creating stress.

- If your work is interfering with your social life and you're always missing out on social activities with friends and family, you may be feeling sad.

What to do when your job is making you depressed

‍Here are some important things to bear in mind or do if your job is causing your depression.

1) Learn effective negotiation skills: Rather than getting angry because your boss keeps piling up your work and won't listen whenever you say you cannot do any more, It is better to become a master at negotiating. Good negotiation skills will help you defeat the most difficult people at work and promote peace. Which then makes it easier to go to work daily.

2) Say no more often: Agreeing to take on every single task your boss hands down to you is a recipe for disaster.  If your plate is already full, it will be impossible to do any meaningful work if you keep adding more tasks. In the most effective job environment, your manager will value you more if you can show them that you have got good reasons to say no.

3) Focussing on things that bring you joy: If you're in a job where you're surrounded by other people constantly complaining about their lives, then you should make a list of all the things that make you happy. it's better to focus on the things that bring you joy rather than focus on your job woes. Because this makes you happier and helps you find purpose in your work.

4) Practice attention training: attention training is a quick form of meditation that helps the brain calm down and focus better. This gives your mind time to adjust to difficult situations.

And this is valuable because you can improve your overall mood and experience clarity of mind which helps you get through work tasks and responsibilities a lot easier.

5) Become a master of self-compassion: Self-compassion is the ability to care for yourself when things don't go your way. It is about being aware of the effect of your actions on yourself. To practice self-compassion, acknowledge when you are falling short of your own standards and learn to forgive yourself.  

It is important to learn to let go of expectations and to accept that there is a difference between what you can and can’t control. When you begin to think this way, you will feel a sense of safety and security. And this is the foundation of self-confidence.

‍6) Attend Cognitive behavioural therapy sessions: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a group of psychological treatments used to treat anxiety and stress-related disorders. CBT teaches you to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours so that you can become calmer and more confident.

The sessions help you to learn the principles behind the strategies used by the therapist. These principles can be applied at home to help you deal with difficult situations at work and at home.

7) Listen to motivational songs: When you are feeling stressed, it is a good idea to listen to motivating songs that boost your energy and keep you motivated. There are many motivational songs available online, and they are very helpful in helping you stay positive in tough situations.

8) Create a vision board: A vision board is a collection of images, pictures, and words that you place on a poster board or on your computer screen. These images can serve as inspiration, goals, and a reminder of why you are working hard. You can put on your vision board anything that inspires you, such as a picture of yourself as a success story.

This could be your favorite memory, a goal you would like to achieve, or your own business idea. The idea is to focus on the best parts of yourself, and this will give you the confidence to achieve success. 

9) Reduce contact with toxic, unhealthy parents: It is amazing how often the people in your life believe they know what is best for you. But if they are toxic people, this can affect your attitude towards life, and work negatively. If they criticize you all the time, they can cause you to develop a victim mentality, which will make you unhappy, and result in poor work performance. So, be sure to limit your contact with such toxic people.

10) Spend more time with uplifting and forward-thinking work colleagues: As human, we naturally absorb the mood of those around us.

When you spend a lot of time with negative, complaining, and upset people, it is hard to see the positive side of life. So, try to spend more time with people who can remain genuinely happy, as this may give you invaluable insights into emotional skill sets that you are currently blind to.

11) Explore the future value of the skills you are learning: The skills you are learning now may pay dividends in future and can help you make a positive impact on the world.

It is worth finding out what exactly these skills are and what kind of future value they can bring to the world. This is a good way to increase motivation to do the job better.

12) Deal with doubt and the imposter syndrome: Regularly acknowledging your accomplishments, even the small ones, will help you gain confidence in your abilities and the ability to accomplish great things. The imposter syndrome is an issue where people feel they do not deserve praise or success, and are instead viewed as frauds.

If you suffer from impostor syndrome, you should try to think positively and not let your insecurities and doubts stop you from doing great things.

13) Become a master at destroying guilt: Guilt can be a powerful motivator. But it can also be extremely harmful. When you are guilty, you cannot move on from negative experiences.  See the short guidance below on things you can do to deal with fruit at work

Coping with feelings of guilt at work

Intense feelings of guilt can be a massive obstacle to success.

Guilt is a tricky emotion to handle. Many of us feel guilty about things we know we should not be feeling guilty about. 

For example, they may feel guilty if they have to ask for help, if they are not making enough money or if they are not getting as much recognition for the job they are doing.  

Deep depression tends to feed off that guilt. It makes you feel that your problems at work are bigger than life and you are not strong enough to handle them. This invariable makes you feel more worthless and guilty until it becomes a vicious circle that eats away at your core.

Learning how to deal with this guilt helps to restore the confidence that was lost. It gives you clarity on what you want in life and what you should be doing to make things happen. This way you help yourself to keep growing and moving forward in life.

1) Learn how to understand and manage the negative emotions associated with guilt

When you feel guilty about a situation, it is natural to feel worried, angry, frustrated, and sad. However, it is also important to learn to be aware of these feelings' emotional impact on you.

Instead of avoiding these feelings or suppressing them, it is important to be mindful of them. In other words, become aware of how you feel and what you are thinking and doing as a result. Learn to accept and release your feelings, so you can move on.

2) Work on your weaknesses at work

In order to increase your sense of purpose and meaning at work, you need to work on your weaknesses.

The way you do this is by making a list of your strengths and your weaknesses at work. Don't be shy, and don't worry about what other people think. If you feel comfortable sharing your list with your boss and coworkers, then do so.

If you think you need help improving in a particular area, take that to your boss and ask for help. This is a perfect opportunity for you to work on your weaknesses and strengthen your strengths.

You should also be honest with yourself. No one else is going to see your weaknesses, so you don't have to pretend that you're stronger than you really are.

The only person who will see your weaknesses is yourself. And by taking a realistic, honest look at them, you'll be able to improve.

3) Talk to your boss about how you could improve

If you are having trouble communicating with your boss, or you are lacking a certain skill or a certain level of knowledge, it's a great time to approach your boss and say that you want to work on that.

This is a perfect opportunity to ask for help and for your boss to offer some. By having open communication with your boss, you'll be able to gain a better understanding of what he/she values and what he/she thinks you should be working on.

And if you're lucky, your boss may be able to help you learn something new.

4) Make a plan to improve yourself at work

When you have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses, you can develop a plan for how you can improve yourself at work. For example, you may decide to start by improving your speaking skills, or you may decide to increase your knowledge of a particular subject.

Whatever you choose to do, it is important that you make a firm decision and stick to it. It's easy to procrastinate, and you may find that you keep changing your mind. But once you've made a decision, you're more likely to be successful.

5) Keep learning

Learning is a great way to improve yourself at work. Even if you only spend a few minutes each week learning, it is very helpful. Learning is the best way to stay ahead of the game and to always improve.

One of the best ways to learn is to read. Reading books and journals are great ways to educate yourself, but so are websites and YouTube videos.

6) Look for ways to make your job fun

If you aren't feeling inspired or happy at work, it's important that you take some time to do things you enjoy. This includes playing sports, going to concerts, and hanging out with friends.

You can even turn a boring job into an enjoyable experience by looking for opportunities to make it more interesting. For example, if your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, then try to find a way to get up and walk around every now and then.

7) Get your occupational health team involved

If you aren't able to make changes in your job, or if your employer isn't willing to make changes, then consider seeking help from occupational health services. It's important that you have someone at your workplace who you can trust and who knows how to help you. A good occupational health team can help you manage your sickness absence days without impacting your benefits.

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What to do when you’re too depressed to work 

Here  are some self-care tips if you’re feeling depressed at work:

1)Take time off work if you need to.

It’s important to take a break if you’re feeling too depressed. Don’t let your boss or colleagues pressure you to get back to work. They may seem sympathetic, but they’ll also resent you if you are not effective at work.

2)  Seek out help from friends or family.

It can be helpful to talk to someone you trust who’s been through similar situations to yours. Talking to a friend or family member may help you feel less alone and allow you to realise that you’re not the only one struggling with depression.

Your family may not understand why you’re feeling this way, but it can be helpful to explain the situation and ask for their support. It’s important to be careful when doing this though. Don’t share too much information if you’re concerned about what other people will think.

3)  Consider taking a leave of absence.

If you’re experiencing major problems at work, you might be able to get time off and then return once you feel better. This allows you to take some time to deal with the stress and to seek help for your depression.

You may want to discuss this with your manager and explain that you need to take some time away for your own mental health.

4)  Look for a part-time job.

You may be able to get a job that fits around your recovery period. This can be very useful if you’re suffering from depression and need to have a regular routine.

5)  Consider changing jobs.

If you’re struggling at work, it’s important to look for another job that’s going to be a better fit for you. You might find that you enjoy the new work environment more than the one you’re currently in.

6)  Find hobbies that you enjoy.

If you’re feeling depressed, it’s important to engage in activities you enjoy. Hobbies can help you to feel good again and distract you from your feelings of stress or anxiety.

7)  Consider volunteering or joining a club.

If you’re feeling down, it can help to spend time with people who are in a better position than yourself. Volunteering can give you something to do, while clubs and groups allow you to meet other people with similar interests.

8)  Try to stay positive.

It can be difficult to feel positive about your situation when you’re feeling depressed. Instead, it’s important to think positively. Think about what you would like to do if you were feeling well again.

9)  Take care of yourself.

Even if you’re not feeling well, it’s important to look after yourself. Make sure you eat properly and get enough sleep. It can be challenging to do this if you’re feeling down, but it’s the best way to help yourself to feel better.

10)  Set realistic goals.

If you’re feeling down, it’s important to set goals that are reasonable to achieve. For example, it’s okay to set goals that require more time or effort than others.

11)  Avoid stressful situations.

It’s important to avoid anything that might make you feel worse, such as work and social situations. Talk to your friends and family to see if they can support you if you can’t avoid these situations.

12)  Avoid alcohol and drugs.

If you’re drinking to deal with stress or anxiety, you may feel more down. If you are currently drinking or using drugs, it’s important to stop.

Turn your workplace into a source of motivation, inspiration and purpose

Working life can feel a bit like Groundhog Day. Every day feels the same, whether you're working in an office or at home. You wake up, go to the office, work, go home. Rinse and repeat.

But when you're depressed, the cycle gets even worse. Your workday is a struggle. You have to drag yourself to the office and keep going, no matter how miserable you are. Then you come home, feel even worse and sleep the whole day away. Rinse and repeat.

True, there are no magic pills that will cure depression, but there are steps you can take to find peace, happiness and success in your life right now. And by implementing these steps into your daily routine, you can feel better about your future than ever before!

Today, you've got everything you need to build a life you love, right at your fingertips!

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