Stop Loathing Yourself: 7 Surprisingly Simple Ideas To Help Yourself Through Workplace Depression

You’ve been tired before but this time it feels different. The effort to get out of bed drains you since you feel like your body is full of sand. You try the usual energy more coffee, an exercise class, and going to bed earlier. If anything, you seem to need even more sleep, if only your brain would let you. These are the first signs that something is amiss. And you shouldn’t ignore them. Your brain is trying to cope through the fog of depression. And no matter how hard you try, you cannot recover unless you solve the underlying problem. Repeatedly telling yourself to be happier or to be grateful doesn’t work. Your brain chemistry has changed and it’s going to take time and effort to bounce back. One in five Americans reported feeling depressed in the summer of 2020 as the COVID pandemic ramped up the conditions that lead to depression, including negative life changes, social isolation, and insecure work futures. So don’t worry, you’re not the only one. No one is immune from depression. You may be stressed out from doing essential work during the pandemic, while worrying about getting sick. Or you may be cooped up at home with endless Zoom meetings, or not working at all as you languish and wonder what is next. You may be tempted to turn to medication to turn down the volume. However, antidepressants come at a cost for your health and numbing yourself to the pain is not the answer. I have made it my personal mission to help you deal with depression in your work and your life, by sharing insights from my research and experiences. These insights, as you will see, are written to be part self-help, part caring words from a friend, and part career advice for the post-pandemic age. In this book you will and much more… I believe that having an open mindset is the first step to healing. We are all capable of improving our health – inside and out – and overcoming our weaknesses through diligent attention to our habits and thought patterns. You can now help yourself feel happier and live a meaningful existence, even if medical solutions and self-help books have failed you time and again.