Balance in life is key! By that, I mean having enough interest in our work so that it's meaningful, while not being so immersed that we feel over-saturated or overwhelmed, as well filling your personal life with relevant interesting and inspiring hobbies that add value and purpose to our lives. Activities that help us grow and become more confident, while making sure we make time to relax as well.

Below I've included some examples and some of the issues my clients have brought to me in counselling, CBT and coaching around workplace stress, and improving mental health.

1 Checking work email outside of work hours

A good example of something that contributes to workplace stress is checking work email or answering work calls outside of work hours.

Why?

Because it stops us from fully relaxing and letting go for the day.

We can become so used to living this way that we can become desensitised to its effect, so much so that we are not even aware of its impact on our mental health and workplace stress, and how it contributes to anxiety and depression.

2 Socialising around work colleagues

Another perhaps subtler boundary issue is socialising with work colleagues.

Work drinks and nights out can be fun on special occasions and I'm certainly not suggesting that we never enjoy socialising with colleagues. After all, doesn't everyone enjoy seeing their boss do the annual table dance around Christmas time? But going out in Shoreditch with your boss and colleagues every Friday is possibly not the best way to let go and relax.

Why not?

Because when we are with friends we don't have to think about what we are going to say next in the same way as you do with colleagues, seniors, and clients.

We can't fully relax or be completely ourselves or honest when engaging with colleagues. This has contributed to workplace stress and anxiety and depression with many clients that I treat for counselling and coaching at London Bridge and around the City of London.

3 Not enough engagement with meaningful personal interests and activities outside of work

Many of my clients around London Bridge frequently express feeling lost and disengaged outside of their work life. They tell me that they would like to play more sport or be more involved with their artistic interests. They often also frequently tell me that they just don't feel they have the time or energy for it.

This cycle of exhaustion, brought on by running on adrenaline, caffeine and alcohol, creates a much higher risk of anxiety and depression, as well as work-related stress. As well as not having enough energy or motivation to do more than eat, drink and sleep during your free time. For many people, this leads to having lower quality free time.

Many people are in denial about their work-related anxiety and depression. You weren't put here just to experience being a cog in a bigger system, just to get by and survive.

Here are some examples of the consequences and symptoms of unhealthy workplace stress and mental health. Do you see any that relate to you?

• poor sleep
• poor diet
• stomach problems
• not feeling able to relax
• difficulty concentrating
• feeling overwhelmed
• feeling irritable
• anxiety
• panic
• exhaustion
• depression
• communication problems
• alcohol and substance misuse
• impaired judgement