Work is an integral part of our lives. It is something that most of us do for a significant portion of our adult lives. We spend countless hours working, trying to make a living, support ourselves and our families. However, work can also be a source of stress and anxiety. In this blog post, we explore the question of whether work gives more to our mental health than it takes.
The CEO of Betterspace, Jim Woods, shared his personal story during the Workforce Wellbeing Live event with LSX. Jim’s journey with this question began around four years ago when he and his wife visited their friend at the Wornford Hospital in Oxford, a mental health hospital. Their friend was an inpatient at the hospital, and when they visited her, she did not want to see them. Two weeks later, their friend took her life, and she was the sixth friend of Jim’s who had chosen that path. This event was a personal trigger for Jim, and it made him question the impact of work on our mental health.
We all know that work is stressful. Some jobs are more demanding than others, and some managers have higher emotional intelligence than others. But despite the stress that work can cause, there is plenty of evidence to show that employment is good for our mental health. In fact, work can be mentally restorative and can help put an end to the seemingly endless season of deterioration in our mental health.
The principle of employment is good for our mental health because it provides us with structure and routine, which can be beneficial for our mental health. When we have a job, we have a purpose, and we have something that gets us out of bed in the morning. This can be incredibly motivating and can give us a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment. Furthermore, having a job can help us build our social networks, which is also essential for our mental health.
However, work can also take a toll on our mental health, especially if we are working in a toxic work environment. A toxic work environment can be detrimental to our mental health and can cause stress, anxiety, and even depression. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the workplace is a safe and supportive environment for all employees.
So, does work give more to our mental health than it takes? The answer to this question is not straightforward. It depends on various factors, such as the nature of the job, the work environment, and the individual’s personality and coping mechanisms. However, what we do know is that work can be beneficial for our mental health if it provides us with structure, routine, and purpose.
Work is an integral part of our lives. It provides us with a sense of purpose and can be beneficial for our mental health if it provides us with structure and routine. However, work can also be stressful, especially if we are working in a toxic work environment. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the workplace is a safe and supportive environment for all employees. We must continue to explore the impact of work on our mental health and work towards creating a workplace that promotes positive mental health.
