Mental fitness and how to recognize a downward spiral

"Mental fitness is my term for a mental recovery plan. It's like physical fitness: It's a plan to keep healthy habits as part of our daily existence, and it helps pull us out of a bad place if we're headed there. I boiled this plan down to what I call the Incredible 10: mental fitness steps to become happier and healthier, which I detail in my workbook. These include having a dynamic support squad of people; therapy; clean eating; exercise; and meditation. " "If we don't make these healthy habits a part of our daily lives, the stressors we meet every day – whether it's a fight with your spouse or a work meeting that didn't go well – can eat away at us. Our bodies manifest anxiety and depression in all kinds of ways," says Kendrick. Here are a few physical, emotional, and mental signs that tell you that you're going to a bad place: You've started to isolate yourself from family and friends

Feeling weighed down: You want to cry, or something just feels "wrong"

Significant increase or decrease in appetite

Sleeping way too much and/or fatigue

Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness

Inability to concentrate; easily distracted

Paranoia

"Sometimes we try to work through all of this, and it becomes a vicious cycle; you can see why issues like low productivity affect us at the workplace. If the stress is temporary and fades, fine. But if it keeps building up, or if you've been taking off work a lot and that's not like you, it's time to make a change. If you've been feeling a lot of these symptoms for two weeks, it's time to contact a professional."

"And that's why mental fitness is so important. If you want to start small, or you feel you can do only one thing at the beginning, then that's great. I find meditation makes a massive difference when you're feeling overwhelmed and anxious at work. Start with just five minutes in the morning. Let the thoughts flow through your head, allow them to be, and then dismiss them. It's hard at first. But like physical fitness, it gets easier with time, and I'd love to see people work up to 20 minutes of meditation in the morning. I have folks meditate in my workshops, and no matter the demographic of people, the energy just shifts within a minute and a half." "I know we're all so busy, but these few minutes make a massive difference for your productivity the rest of the day. Meditate right after you get out of the shower. Do it on the train. Do whatever you need to do to focus on you for those few minutes, and I promise you will become a different worker."

Identified work as a trigger? Four steps to take next

"The truth is, not everyone can reach out at work. You can't say to every manager or to every CEO, 'I'm having mental health challenges, I'm stressed, I need time away from work.' Some people and organizations will look down on that, unfortunately."

1. Find a therapist

"If you've figured out that work is your trigger, the first thing is to find a therapist. Even if you feel your workplace would be supportive of you speaking up, finding a place outside of that first is fantastic. With a mental health professional, you'll have a place where you can unload everything that's on your mind, and work out strategies to employ. You can leave feeling validated and armed with strategies, and your job isn't in jeopardy," says Kendrick.

2. Do your homework at your workplace and find out if it's a safe space to discuss mental health

"For so many people, it is. A woman at a startup, [Olark Live Chat], even tweeted recently about how her CEO applauded her decision to take a few sick days to focus on her mental health. But you have to assess whether your manager or your HR is open to this discussion. If so, go for it: Be aware of boundaries, but depending on your comfort level, you can say 'I need to take time for my mental health' rather than detail how you had a panic attack or a bipolar episode." TWEET

3. Take time away from work

"If you find that work is not a safe space, you still need to take that time away from work to re-center. You can say you're 'taking a few days to address health challenges,' and you're not lying. You're not isolating yourself from the mission. There's nothing wrong with using the overall health umbrella to explain your time away."

4. Make a change

"If this isn't temporary and work is continually a trigger and wearing you down, find another job. I realize that is not easy to do. But when you have realized your biggest trigger is work, whether it's a toxic boss or simply not the right fit for you, that's a huge step in your mental health. Yet once you realize it, you have to do something about it. It's a big step to take, but it is key in moving forward."

Why mental fitness is so important for career success