Are you wondering how to become a more valued professional at work? Maybe you want to try for a promotion but aren’t sure how to stand out from fellow colleagues who are vying for the same position. Or perhaps you’re getting ready for your annual employee review and want to put your best foot forward so you can get that raise you think you deserve. Whatever your situation may be, you’re probably looking for ways to gain a competitive workplace advantage.
While it might not be the first thing that comes to mind, optimizing your mental wellness is one of the most important things you can do to improve your value as an employee. Good mental health can help strengthen your overall performance at work. It can also give you the self-confidence you need to pursue workplace opportunities. Here’s what you should know about the professional advantage you can obtain by simply staying mentally healthy.
Why Mental Health Should Be a Priority in the Workplace
Employees with poor mental health tend to struggle to meet performance goals and feel motivated at work. They may take more sick days, suffer from reduced cognitive performance, and experience increased workplace conflict. They’re also more likely to be overlooked for promotions and raises.
On the other hand, workers who are mentally and emotionally healthy tend to be more engaged and productive at work. Psychologically healthy workers are often self-motivated and don’t need to have someone micromanaging everything they do. These attributes can make mentally healthy employees more valuable to employers. Here are a few ways achieving good mental wellness through online therapy or other mental health support services can give you a competitive workplace advantage:
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Improved Adaptability
Workers who make the effort to maintain good mental wellness are often more adaptable than their mentally unhealthy counterparts. No matter what industry you work in, it’s important to be able to respond quickly to unforeseen disruptions, evolving customer demands, and rapid technological advancements. Adaptability and flexibility can help you stand out from other workers and gain a competitive advantage.
Therapy is a great way to learn adaptability skills if you don’t currently have them. It teaches a growth mindset, fosters emotional resilience, and encourages proactive stress management. It also teaches how to handle high-stress environments in a healthy way so you aren’t easily overwhelmed. A good therapist can also help you reduce other pressures in your life so you’re better able to handle workplace stresses without shutting down.
Faster Recovery
Employers are always on the lookout for team members who can recover quickly from busy, high-demand periods. They need employees they can rely on to reliably bounce back after busy seasonal periods, demanding deadlines, or new product launches. The faster you recover from high stress, the more valuable you are to employers in fast-paced industries.
People who maintain good mental health tend to recover faster than people with poor mental wellness. If you think you could use some improvement in this area, therapy may be a helpful tool. It uses modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you manage stress, reduce depression and anxiety, and reframe negative thought patterns. These strategies can improve job satisfaction and help you get back on your feet faster after unusually demanding periods.
Enhanced Performance
Every good employer values workers who consistently perform well in the workplace. Employees with good mental wellness tend to be more engaged, focused, and motivated in their work. They often complete tasks more quickly and are highly reliable. These attributes make them valuable assets to employers and can give them a competitive advantage over their lazier colleagues.
Psychotherapy teaches emotional regulation and conflict resolution skills, both of which can lead to improved mental wellness and increased productivity. It can also help employees manage stress better, so they’re less likely to experience burnout and more likely to feel focused and driven at work.
Reduced Absenteeism
According to a Gallup poll, nearly 19% of workers in the United States rate their mental health as either poor or just fair. Employees with poor mental wellness are more likely to have unplanned absences from work than their mentally healthy counterparts. Employers generally want workers who show up reliably to work most days and have minimal sick days.
Employees with good mental health typically have good emotional regulation and stress management skills. Instead of getting easily overwhelmed at work or taking days off due to anxiety or depression, they focus on addressing underlying mental health issues before they become debilitating. They also practice early stress management intervention to combat anxious feelings before they become full-blown anxiety attacks or lead to burnout.
Give Yourself a Professional Advantage by Prioritizing Mental Health
Learning hard skills such as digital literacy, project management, and delegation can all make you a more valuable employee. However, it’s equally crucial to develop soft skills such as stress management, emotional intelligence, and effective communication. These skills are more common among people who prioritize their mental wellness. Maintaining optimal mental health can not only help you get greater satisfaction out of your professional life, but it can also give you a competitive workplace advantage.