Struggling in Silence: How Work Stress Undermines Mental Health and Productivity

Work has always been considered and taught as a stressful endeavour. This convoluted conception, along with the conventional ‘work hard, never rest’ advice passed around for years, from school to college, has created detrimental problems for the recent generation. According to WHO, 15% of working-age adults have a mental disorder. However, the age-old beliefs ingrained in young minds are not the only factors causing mental health issues.

What factors incite work stress among employees?

The contemporary work environment is fraught with mounting expectations, dynamic results, and growing competition. Most employees are subjected to tremendous pressure to counter the competition and drive exceptional progress. This pressure inadvertently builds a stressful work environment, prompting workers to work tirelessly and neglect their personal lives, thus leading to depression.

Furthermore, the launch of AI applications like ChatGPT, though introduced to reduce employee stress, has caused more adverse impacts. Given that 40% of workers are concerned the artificial intelligence chatbot will replace their jobs entirely, the anxiety over losing their current position is intensifying. Moreover, 210,069 mass layoffs caused by the fluctuating economy have silently but profoundly impacted employees on how risky their future is.

According to the BBC, Gen Z is the most stressed generation at the workplace. Given that most GenZ completed their university degrees in isolation, most feel restless about being exposed to the back-to-office regime. Moreover, a McKinsey survey has stated that Gen Z age range of 18 to 24 are likely to have multiple jobs compared to older workers to survive the financial instability, which may exacerbate the already high mental illness levels.

The unmistakable signs of depression and anxiety

Though depression and anxiety among workers is a frequently debated topic worldwide, its signs are not well discussed enough. For most, common symptoms like sad expressions and introverted behaviour allude to a depressed individual. Though that might be true, according to psychologists, however, depressed people might not look depressed and express the following symptoms:
â-    Feeling bored and complacency about the job
â-    Losing focus and motivation over the tasks and duties at work
â-    Committing excessive errors repeatedly in everyday tasks
â-    Forgetting day-to-day tasks like eating, bathing and many more
â-    Arriving late for work
â-    Experiencing massive weight loss or gain
â-    Constantly feeling hopeless and guilty
â-    Getting frequent migraines

Revenge bedtime procrastination is yet another worrying depression symptom that often goes unnoticed. The term refers to people who sacrifice their sleep time for leisure. The lack of free time during work hours and overworking drives people to intentionally evade sleep and resort to distraction by scrolling through social media or watching series. Around 79% of people procrastinate on revenge bedtime, disrupting their circadian rhythm and lowering productivity, thus further aggravating mental issues.

Ways to escape from the circle of mental illness

In response to the growing mental health crisis, working adults must resolve their detrimental habits and adopt a more positive and nurturing lifestyle. One can start simply by taking small steps like:
â-    Taking a 10-minute break from work and walking, either inside or outside the office.
â-    Eating healthy meals outside of the workplace.
â-    Practising saying ‘no’ to tasks that can be mentally, physically, and emotionally draining.
â-    Connecting and hanging out with friends and family during vacations instead of relaxing at home.
â-    Practising at least 10-15 minutes of meditation every day to practise calmness and clarity for the day.
â-    Watching funny videos to lighten the mood.
â-    Seeking appropriate professional help.

In Conclusion

Depression and anxiety should not be confused with occasional emotional vulnerabilities. They are far more complicated than that, and ignoring the signs in the early stages results in irreversible physical and mental health complications. Considering that nearly 48% of corporate employees struggle with mental health issues, organisations and employees must prioritise and foster a positive work-life balance.

The article is authored by Dr. MS Reddy, Director & Sr. Consultant Psychiatrist, Asha Neuromodulation Clinics