What is a successful career?
Is it related to an exponential graph of salary? Or position?
Is it owning multiple villas or cars?
Honestly, it’s very hard to generalize what is a successful career. It’s purely subjective and can only be defined for oneself.
But what most people agree on when it comes to the definition of a successful career is growth and contentment.
And one of the main pillars of a successful career is… your mind!
You think, act and speak with your mind. Your genius flows through your mind and so its well being becomes highly important.
Mental health in India is a social taboo but shockingly isn’t new.
India falls in the top 5 countries facing the most depression in the world.
And because of it being a social taboo, the situation isn’t getting any better. So, we need to understand that our mental state shapes our careers.
Today, let’s discuss some of the reasons how mental health can affect your career and why you should ensure its wellness.
1. It affects your motivation
Your mental health defines your level of motivation.
If you’re in the wrong mental state, you won’t feel the motivation you need to become successful.
In a long career regardless of the industry, there will be a lot of challenges and discouragement. There will be times when you’ll feel despaired and defeated.
In such situations, having a strong mental state will help you get back up and fight.
This motivation will only come when you believe in yourself and your mind isn’t distracted or discouraged easily.
Only motivated professionals go to work every day with the mindset of changing the world.
2. It shapes your personality
What you’re in your mind is what you’re as a person.
A lot of people are pessimists while others are optimists. The reason for such personalities is how you think, and your overall mental state.
There are two ways you can look at hardships… as an opportunity to learn or as an acceptance of defeat.
Successful people keep their thoughts in check and rewire themselves towards the positive even if they feel defeated.
This helps them change their thought process over time… and this reflects in their personality too.
So, make sure you strengthen your mind by exercising it by reading books, seeking therapy etc.
3. It influences your focus
Economic Times reported that over 42.5% of Indian private sector employees suffer from depression or anxiety.
And because mental health is a taboo in our country, a lot of you suffering from such conditions may not even recognize it.
And it might be the reason holding you back in achieving what you set out to accomplish.
Having these conditions can put your focus off of things that are important in your career and make you feel empty.
So, to have a successful career, it’s important to address these issues.
Seek help and consult a therapist. There’s no shame in fixing a problem that you already have. Get better and you’ll find yourself more focused on your goal!
4. It affects your productivity
This one goes without saying…
A fight with a close one can affect your productivity on a given day, which is fine as we all have these days.
But having your mind occupied with thoughts all the time may affect your productivity drastically.
You might find yourself not being able to get any work done or you have to push yourself in doing things you love.
Your productivity is a crucial factor that determines your success in any career.
And you won’t be productive if you are facing challenges mentally.
It’s important to figure it out and address it to have a successful career.
The above reasons are enough to make or break your career and so it’s important to address your mental health. Here are some tips for you to keep your mental health in check.
Seek a therapist
The most important is to know what you’re going through and only a professional can diagnose that.
Seek a therapist and have a session. It might help you see if you’re suffering from any illness that may be coming in your career and life.
Even if you think you’re completely fine, a single session won’t be a lot to keep your mental health in check.
Picture it like a routine body check-up and get it done.
Sleep
Sometimes not sleeping enough can be a really bad mental state. If you overwork, it should never be at the cost of your sleep.
Make sure you get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day.
Also, sleeping in the night and the dark will make you feel much more rested than sleeping during the day.
Reward yourself
Sometimes we get so much occupied with the work that we forget we are doing all of this for a better life!
So reward yourself.
Take a vacation, dance, play the guitar… do anything that makes you feel good. Rewarded!
Rewarding yourself will only make you feel good and more determined to succeed.
Eat well
Eating a healthy diet not only affects you physically but also mentally.
Make sure you are eating a balanced diet with everything you need in your body.
A simple Google search will lead you to hundreds of diet plans that are good for an average human.
No excuses. Do it!
Concluding, your mental health is what essentially you are and even though your body is important, it’s time that we start addressing our mental health as well.
Taking care of your mind will only make you stronger and will help you succeed in your career and life!
Good luck!
