https://www.flickr.com/photos/goldilockphotography/8178012239/ Photo by Mary Lock

It goes back in the day when I ‘died.’

For the second time.

I looked at the mirror and saw no one but dead pretending cheerful and alive. It was a person with heart beating and lungs breathing, but she was dead. The dead thing that knew something was wrong and yet didn’t want to admit it.

This something was depression.

Affecting up to 350 million people globally, it ruins lives and influences the way we work. The latter bothered me: depressed or not, I had to continue working efficiently in order not to die in the truest sense of this word. The work was something that gave strengths to get out of bed and prevented thoughts about killing myself, so it was my straw to grasp.

With depression being a major issue across cultures and economies, it’s still a taboo subject in the workplace. Sufferers don’t have strengths to report it to employers, and managers don’t understand how to deal with their employees’ mental health problems. Misreading depression as sadness or selfishness, many can’t contemplate what the depressed are going through or why they just can’t pull themselves together.

When dying for the first time, I misread my depression as fatigue, too, trying all known methods of coping with it: taking care of myself, developing useful habits, practicing calming techniques, applying the chemistry of human emotions, doing things that made me feel good, etc.

They worked. Up to a certain time.

The problem is, depressed people don’t want to admit they are mentally ill, and that’s among reasons why 80% of them don’t receive any treatment. They call depression a period of sadness, stress, work fatigue, or any other word rather than tell it as it is. So did I, suffering in silence until the problem got too much.

And I have ‘died’ again.

I looked at the mirror and saw no one but dead pretending alive. The dead thing that knew something was wrong and... was ready to accept help.

For all that, my aim was preventing the depression’s impact on my working life. Now I can tell firsthand that impossible is nothing for a person who set her heart on doing that.

How did I find strengths to continue working?

1. Admit it and seek help

I have wonderful friends and family ready to help and give advice, but I am lucky enough to have knowledgeable managers at work, too. Being aware of my condition, they provided me with support, resources, and flexible work schedule.

The culture of acceptance and support is significant for employers to build, taking into account the confidential nature of this illness and the cost of replacing staff lost. It makes sense to train managers, explaining how to discuss mental health conditions with employees to help those suffering combat the illness.

The worst thing for a person in depression is suffering it alone. With no help at work, we need to seek alternative sources of it.

2. Delay and delegate

When I was depressed, minor issues at work became major ones. Little annoyances and interruptions looked like big sharks intending to swallow me upon request. My brain was out, I sank, all tasks seemed unimportant and overwhelming, and my decisions influenced the working process of my colleagues.

Not always for the better.

To minimize if not prevent it, I used the tactic of delaying. Known as the strategy of focus rather than procrastination, it works for making better decisions and saving from wrong choices. Following Joseph Sugarman’s approach, I used this tactic as a kind of incubator for my thoughts when a problem’s postponement led to finding the best solution.

Delegating tasks to others is another skill all leaders might want to develop for keeping sane and maximizing productivity. The crucial moment here is to know how to delegate the right tasks to the right people.

3. Organize a healing workplace

2013 Workplace Survey says that employees perform better when they can control their workspace environments. A desk, zoning, walls color, lighting – these factors influence our mental and physical conditions; so, a wise decision would be organizing a workplace that could inspire and impact our depressive mood.

Clutter reduces ability to focus, so get rid out of it.

Plants boost spirits, so have one by the computer.

Friends and relatives support us, so put their photos nearby.

Daylight makes us active and concentrated, so decide on it rather than artificial lighting.

When ill, we need more rest, so zone a workspace with one corner for relaxing.

4. Make to-do lists every day

They keep us focused and make us feel accomplished every time we cross something off. I made a list of everything, whether working tasks or daily routine. A great tactic is rewarding ourselves for getting something done: go for a walk after responding emails, watch a movie after finishing a blog post, take a cup of cappuccino after closing a deal with new clients, etc.

On harder days, I tried working on projects that required less brain power. Also, working by small portions helped me start; I noticed that harder bits were more likely to flow after I got going.

5. Enter the state of flow

The world’s greatest thinkers describe it as the most productive state of mind for work. Psychologists agree, arguing it’s a crucial component of happiness and explaining it as follows:

“When you’re completely involved in the process of creating something new you don’t have enough attention left over to monitor how your body feels – the fact that you’re hungry or tired – or to listen to your mind chatter.”

Not easy to enter, especially when depressed, the flow state can do wonders which are better focus, emotional state, concentration, and energy level.

Depression is not a problem to ignore. We can solve it if admitting the symptoms, and many tactics can help us cope with this mental illness without giving up a business. What we need to do is remember that the worst thing about depression is suffering it alone, and find treatment working best.

And once found, why not give it a try?

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