Job Stress Balance and Mental Health

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The heart breaking tragic news of demise of a young woman CA aged 23 years, who was working for a well-known multinational company might have seeked our attention, shock and empathy. The vibrant professional under probation had proudly joined the company with great dreams and ambitions even before completing her convocation as CA. Like any hardworking and academically superb fresher, she tried to put her 110% towards work and work output. Only after 4 months of her professional journey as CA, she succumbed to chronic anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, burnout and lack of peace of mind all contributed by the work pressure and stress from team heads as evident from her mother's viral letter to the company chairman. The letter clearly states the kind of pressure and sleep deprived late night work culture as per the convenience of her immediate Manager and his timings. Deadline works put extra pressure on her with least time to complete it on time. Months before, she had pronounced symptoms of chest discomfort which was ruled out by a Cardiologist as she was fit and healthy physically and her discomfort was clearly due to mental stress. 

Unfortunately the girl was not taken to a Counselor or Psychologist and she continued her work even after her parents advice to leave the stressful job. 




Here, who is the one we should blame?


1) Obviously the Type of Work culture followed by the MNC is quite alarming. The Manager is at ease ( as per the letter) to distribute works as per his time and convenience rather than a fixed hours of work or allotted working time.


2) The parents tried to support her and asked her to leave the work that appeared so much pressureful to her. Probably they didn't expect this much consequences but were there for her support. So they aren't the ones to be blamed. They took her to a hospital as soon as she claimed chest pain once. She was claimed physicall fit and had no cardiac issues. 


3) The real culprit is the lack of awareness about the need to seek immediate professional help as soon as possible if someone has physical issues which was followed by "no notable physical illness claim" by a Physician. 

Mental health is the most important aspect of one' s health. There is this popular saying, "If wealth is lost nothing is lost, if Health is lost something is lost and if Character is lost everything is lost". I would like to modify it as "If Mental health is lost everything is Lost". 

I was thinking that if she had seeked the help of a mental health professional either online or offline ( whether that be a Counselor, psychologist or a clinical psychologist) to describe her condition, she should have been guided properly to how to manage the stress or if necessary to leave the job. 

I myself had guided working professionals to change their work timings or work place itself if it seemed necessary to regain their mental well-being. 

Personally, I myself had experienced severe work pressure in my Engineering Teaching profession and during my Ph.D journey itself . Not everyone can manage multiple things at a time. Some are mentally strong enough to handle life difficulties in a cool manner and some are not. It depends on multiple factors such as family, genetics, social set up, education, cultural impact, ability to handle failures, financial background, expectations and much more. This itself had led me to my interest to study mental health and the interest to help others suffering from life issues including work pressure, parenting, adolescent issues and women's empowerment. 


4) It is a fact that Ragging is not just present in schools or colleges. It is there in work places also. Freshers or probationary period employees are not treated equally to the experienced employees many a times. There lies the disoriented work distribution graphs. Anti-ragging committee, Grievance committee etc., should be compulsorily present in Work places under strict monitoring from authorities. 


5) Work pressure and difficulty in managing Work-Life balance is there in every sector including Work From Home. Whether it is IT, Banking, Teaching, Engineering , Research, Media, Journalism, Lawyers, Medical professionals , Police department, Front line workers ......almost every section has work pressure and stress. Some stress are avoidable and unwanted. This can be managed. While some stress are life threatening too. In such cases, if leaving the work place is an option, it should be adopted rather than sticking on to it to result in greater damages.


 *Remember: this is not Escapism.*

 But the means of loving and taking care of oneself and one' s innocent soul. Because not every place is meant for us. If you are being totally drained out due to work, then that work culture is not healthy. This is not the only place on earth or the only opportunity left for you on earth. Your educational qualification can lead you to higher levels. Be brave. 


* Seek professional help from Mental health experts if you feel distressed, sleepless, anxious, depressed, afraid , panic attack etc. as soon as possible. Do not keep quiet. 


"A Real Hero does not need to Find the Destiny. The Destiny will find Him. " 


#Mental health awareness 


Dr. Sheena Latif.




Chief Trainer and Founder, ' Academy of Life Skills Training & Development' Educational Counsellor ; Life Skills Trainer ; Presentation Guide.

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