Self

How To Deal With Depression During Work

Man

EEEENT. EEEENT. EEEENT. <Slap> 

You’ve hit the snooze button for what has to be the last time. The feeling of dread flows through your body and early morning anxiety lands on your chest like a ton of bricks. 

It’s the start of another day, going through the motions, preparing yourself to waste even more of your life at a job that you’ve come to despise. After much rushing and a quick “ah, who cares...” in front of the mirror, you hurry out for your morning commute. 

Within seconds of your start time, you throw your bag on the desk, plop into your chair, and check the clock. Your laptop hasn’t even booted up and you’re already yawning despite the 20 oz. coffee you finished on the way. 

Another day. Another day of too much work and too little time. Another day of listening to your co-workers spew their toxic complaints all over the place. Another day trapped inside a colorless cubicle with more dust and depression than oxygen. 

You open your inbox to find 50 new messages. What the hell? You were up until 11pm the night before putting out all of the fires from yesterday. How could this many people need something in just a few short hours? 

You push yourself through the day with a handful of snacks and a few not-so-healthy drinks to give you the stamina needed to press on. You doodle and daydream during a few pointless meetings, laugh as your boss explains priorities have changed yet again, and after much agony, you watch the clock slooowly hit 5pm. 

While it has seemed like an eternity, you’ve made it through another day. You’ve put in your time, you’ve worked harder and been more productive than half of the people you work with, and it’s time to leave. You should feel thrilled right? But instead, you survey the desks around you. The people who were here and working when you arrived are still plugging away. You feel their cold, hard stares as they watch you pack up your things. You’re exhausted, frustrated, and on top of everything else, now you feel guilty for leaving. 

Even though you have a decent commute home, it’s not enough time to shake the dreadful feelings. It’s become commonplace. You want to let work at work, but you just can’t. You’re constantly thinking about it, bringing the grey cloud home to rain on the rest of your evening. 

You start to wonder. What went wrong? How did this happen? I used to be such a lively, confident, determined person. I used to have a passion for my work. I used to want to change things for the better. I used to have fun. I used to care. What happened to me? I don’t even recognize myself anymore. 

You know you still have that passion and that force inside of you that wants to make the world a better place, but it feels as though it’s been buried deep under years of burnout, years of having your ideas and opinions shot down, years of stagnant bureaucracy. 

You daydream about dropping your laptop on your boss’s desk and never looking back, of finding a job where your voice is heard, of making a difference in people’s lives, of loving what you do... and then you remember the mortgage. Your bills aren’t getting any smaller and there aren’t exactly a surplus of new jobs out there waiting for you. Besides, your friends complain about the same problems at other companies. You roll your eyes and snap yourself back into reality as you stop for yet another bottle of wine to perk up your evening. 

This is no way to live. 

Trading your soul for your paycheck will leave you with nothing but emptiness and regrets. But, there is hope. Things can change. You can change. And, believe it or not, your entire organization can change. 

All it takes is one spark to start a fire. Reach down deep and reignite the flames within your soul. Bring your passion back to the surface. Fight for what you know is right. 

Be the person you really want to be at this job. Encourage your co-workers and team members to do the same. Inspire and uplift those around you. Respectfully speak up for what you believe in and start making the changes that are within your control. 

Inspired people create change. Happy people are powerful people. Uplifting the emotions and the morale of yourself and the people around you will start a force in that organization. That force will create ripple effects that generate improvements you never realized were possible. Sooner or later someone is going to notice the difference and you will have their undivided attention. They’ll see the benefits of your ideas and will be ready to listen. Before you know it, that little spark will spread like wildfire. 

You have the opportunity to be that spark - to change not only your life, but the lives of everyone around you. In doing so, you’ll give others permission to do the same. If that’s not making a difference, I don’t know what is. 

If find it difficult to reignite your passion, bring your authentic self to the table, and stand up for what you believe in, send me an email. I can help.