Some sick days are obvious: a bad cough, a broken wrist, food poisoning. We sit out from work for fevers, colds, and injuries just by shooting over an email to our boss. At many companies, it’s even understood when you need to sneak out for a dental appointment or a doctor’s visit.But what about when the sick day is for mental health? Or when the doctor’s visit is actually therapy? What are companies doing to normalize the health of our minds?Cases of suicide, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and addiction disorders have gone up shockingly. A lack of work-life balance, family and social pressure, sedentary lifestyle, financial challenges and disharmonious relationships, all put together create a deadly cocktail of poor mental and physical health conditions.Mental illness is a challenge, but it is not a weakness. Understanding one's psyche can be the key to unleashing our strengths whether it’s using our sensitivity to empathize with clients, our anxiety to be a more thoughtful boss, or our need for space to forge new and interesting paths. When we acknowledge our mental health, we get to know ourselves better, and are more authentic people, employees, and leaders. Research has found that feeling authentic and open at work leads to better performance, engagement, employee retention, and overall well-being.Studies like the one published in Economic research remind us of the evidence for something that’s both logical and understandable. The workers’ personal satisfaction improves a company’s overall performance. In other words, a happy worker whose managers recognize their skills and efforts represents human capital for any company. Many companies overlook their workers and focus only on the results. There are economic and productive entities that are based almost exclusively on vertical, rigid, and traditional leadership that lacks emotional intelligence. If an employee doesn’t adapt to this inflexibility, a new employee quickly replaces them, thus recycling workers in an increasingly competitive system.These labor dynamics, where managers value productivity a lot more than worker welfare, and where staying in the market is valued more than the ability to innovate, cause work-related psychological disorders. In fact, the main source of stress in our lives is our job.Moreover, studies such as the one published in The Scientific World Journal remind us that work unhappiness affects our health and alters all of our life habits (food, rest, leisure, etc.). What can we do when faced with this common situation?“When work is a pleasure, life is beautiful. But when it is imposed on us, life is a bondage.”Being unhappy at work often means being unhappy in life. Our jobs occupy a large part of our time. They also create an image that should dignify us. Thus, the fact that we wake up each morning in anguish over having to go to a job that generates anxiety, pressure, low motivation, and no satisfaction creates an unhealthy and even dangerous psychological state.Tips To Improve Our Mental Health At Work.Things to incorporate when you’re unhappy with your job When you feel unhappy with your job, there are two options.You can either quit your job or get used to the idea of adjusting to an ungrateful occupation in exchange for a salary.Now, whether we choose the first course of action or the second, there’s always a third option to think about. Different strategies that can improve our situation as much as possible include:

• Relate to people within the organization that provide you with positivity, companionship, motivation, and good energy.
• Avoid people who infect you with their bad moods and negativity.
• If you have a boss, manager, or another person above you who’s toxic and abusive, you should always keep your distance as much as possible. Obeying orders that degrade you or go against your values is dangerous for your physical and psychological integrity.
• It’s important to know how to disconnect completely once you leave work for the day. Avoid taking the pressure and worry home with you.
• Finally, consider certain red flags. There are limits that should make you reflect on the idea of leaving your job before your health is affected. If your efforts aren’t taken into account, you have a really bad salary, the work climate is toxic and abusive, and you already see that the job is affecting all areas of your life, it’s best to look for another job.

Tips for Disconnection from JobDisconnecting from work isn’t simply about relaxation. However, to get the most out of your downtime, recent research has shown you need to do activities that contribute to our four recovery experiences: detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control. The first thing you have to remember is that disconnecting doesn’t make you irresponsible. It actually helps you perform better when you’re at work, so you end up being more productive. Once you’re off the clock, you’re completely free to spend your time however you want.

• Spend time with people you love

Spend time with people who matter to you. Ask about their lives, chat about whatever comes to mind (but not work), and have a good time. You can also spend time with your co-workers outside of working hours.

• Sign up for something fun

Take a few hours for yourself. It’ll be good for your brain and your self-esteem. It’ll also help you meet new people with the same interests as you.

• Try to back off from social media

Try to use your phone (and therefore social media) as little as possible. With few exceptions, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram just lead to dependence. Spend less time on them so that you can spend more time on yourself and the people around you.

• Read a good book or watch a good movie

Books and films are a great choice — and also a great distraction from other things, like work. When you read or watch a movie, you give your brain a chance to forget about everything else. Some books and films can also help you grow as a person and learn something new, so you actually get double the benefits.

• Relaxation: Spend time alone to recover from always being ‘on’

We’re naturally social beings. However, too much time around other people can drain our energy and get in the way of properly disconnecting and recharging after a long day. The key to solitude is to step away from reacting to the output of other minds. It’s the only time you we refine the principles on which we can build a life of character.

• Mastery: Work on a hobby or learn something new

It might seem counter intuitive that more effort will help us recover from our workday, but that’s exactly what researchers have discovered. By engaging in activities that you enjoy, but that also challenge you, one is able to disconnect more fully from work. Pursuing mastery is a perfect example of the importance of hobbies outside of work, which not only help us recover, but can lead to more overall happiness due to lower stress, more social relationships, better structure to our day, and a sense of accomplishment and meaning. However, Meditation and becoming mindful are the ultimate key to success and balance.

• Control: Create a ‘shutdown ritual’ to disconnect from the workday

The final aspect of successful recovery from your workday involves being in control of how you spend your time, energy, and attention. For people who don’t have much control over what happens at work, or whose off-work schedules are filled with family duties, other obligations or chores, being able to control their time on their breaks is both liberating and restorative. Establish a closing ritual. Know when to stop working. Try to end each work day the same way, too. Straighten up your desk. Backup your computer. Make a list of what you need to do tomorrow. By creating our own ritual, one that focuses on learning and positivity we are essentially rewriting every day with a happy ending.If  we can’t immediately change how much we’re working, we can at least make changes to help us recover from our long days. Take time to properly recover, mentally and physically, and you’ll be setting yourself up for more productive days, a better work life balance, and a happier, healthier life.Namrata Jain is a Tedx Speaker, Life Coach, Counselling Psychologist, Corporate Trainer, Healer, Author, Expressive Arts Therapist, Wellness and Success Coach, Personal Growth Advisor and Blogger. Namrata has been awarded as the ‘Most Promising Counsellor and Psychologist of the Year 2018’. She has been featured numerous times in Mumbai Mirror - Times Group sharing her inputs on Mental and Psychological Wellness. Her sharing in a show on Sony TV and Radio 98.3 has been appreciated by numerous professionals and individuals across the country. Namrata Jain has also been featured on the Cover of Brand India Magazine – Healthcare Edition.