Hi
friend, in this blog we are going to discuss about how workplace need to
support mental health(based on my knowledge along with my experience). In this
blog, I am going to some of my past experience which creases the stress
and depression. For me, it taken many days to recover for that experience.
When I was off due to sick, I was sent message to him but it changed to exercise for some other, and on the day I was diagnosed with depression, I was told I was making my in-charge’s job harder. At a time when I was finding it hard to see the bigger picture because I was stuck in the black hole of depression, I took this incredibly seriously and it made my condition much worse.
I
didn’t receive the help I deserved at work, until I eventually, after months of
comments on my mental health, I made a formal complaint of harassment and
bullying. Had my in-charge, and my workplace, had training into supporting
someone with a mental health problem, I might still be there.
I
will never forget the fear of going to work for what my in-charge would say to
me that day, or the feeling of not wanting to wake up the next morning.
To
feel like I’d gone from someone thriving in my career to being told I was
failing to make a contribution, was shattering. I eventually got an apology,
and my in-charge soon left the company.
I
finally got the help I needed to help me move on from the experience, and I
developed the tools I needed to manage my condition at work. I’d be deluded if
I said the depression was gone. It hasn’t and there are days when I feel the
dark cloud coming over me, and I feel suffocated by my own thoughts. But I’ve
learned to accept them, and deal with each day as it comes.
I
can now look back on my negative experience at work as a learning. It forced me
to grow up and accept my condition rather than fear it, and to take the
confidence in knowing what was best for me and standing up for myself and what
support I needed. In coming out of the hardest year of my life, and
through my mental health diagnosis, I have learnt what true resilience is.
I
wish my work had been given the support they needed to support me. Both me and
my in-charge gave up our careers at an incredible job because neither of us
knew how to cope at the time. Education and training are key. We all deserve to
feel safe at work.
When
we feel weak, we need the support of our workplace to give us the flexibility
we need to be well as well as productive. Without an understanding of mental
health at work, stories like mine will continue to be the norm.
A
recent survey of the charity sector uncovered some uneasy reading about
bullying and mental health at work. Whilst this made me realise I’m not alone,
it also made me realise just how important it is to speak openly about mental
health and how we are feeling. We must all continue to call out the injustices
people with mental health conditions face at work if we are to make real change
for future generations.
Nobody
should be belittled into thinking their condition is a burden because their
manager doesn’t have the experience or training to support you.
All
mental health conditions are difficult for you and the people around you, but
with the right tools, and the right help, you can have a career.
We’ve a long way to go. But there is hope. I didn’t feel it then, but I certainly feel it now. It really is time to change.
