• 5 Signs Your Job Is Good For Your Mental Health

    by Jiell Richardson | from realness of health

    The pay is good, your title soundsnice, you will actually be using your college degree, and there’s endless coffee and bean bag chairs on every floor. Kudos to you for landing your dream job! Hopefully, when you received your offer, you took some time to consider whether or not your job is actually good for your health.

    Here are five (5) ways you can tell if your job is a good fit for your mental health and well-being.

    1. The office has a wellness room. Sometimes, you have to remove the computer screen completely from your sight. With some disinfectant wipes and good timing (sick and/or nursing folks take priority, of course), you’ve got yourself the perfect private spot for a 5-minute afternoon meditation.
    2. Healthy food options are within walking distance. Unlimited access to fresh drinking water is important to have in any work setting, and so is, to some extent, having convenient access to healthy food options while at work. Most people will pack a lunch from home on a regular day, but on those rough, busy days, wouldn’t it be nice to treat yourself to a fruit smoothie or an Instagrammable salad?
    3. You learn something new every once in a while. Even the most glamorous of jobs start to feel like a remake of the film, Groundhog Day. A career in hair and makeup styling, for example, sounds like a lot of fun. But can you imagine re-creating the same trendy hairstyle all the time? One thing that helps stylists and barbers get through their day is having genuine conversations with clients as they work. A barber can give 10 identical Caesar fades, but has the potential to learn about 10 new Netflix documentaries to watch just from striking up a conversation. That would certainly give me a little more incentive to come into work on a Monday. I call that turning lemons into naturally flavored Italian ice.
    4. Your supervisor is aware of the challenges of your job and sympathizes. There is nothing quite like working under a manager who “gets it”. There may not be a lot that you can do to make the nature of your job less high-stress, but knowing that your boss sees you and sees how challenging your job is can make you feel a little more grounded.
    5. There is room for at least one of your personal strengths to shine. According to the World Health Organization, having something productive to get up and do on a regular basis is good for one’s mental health and well-being. WHO also states that a healthy work environment includes career development opportunities as well as giving employees a sense of “control and participation”. One way workers can feel in control and like they are making a contribution is by having their strengths identified and utilized, and for their contribution to be recognized.