Anda di halaman 1dari 3

7 Strategies to Be Productive at Work

When Youre Depressed


By Therese J. Borchard
Associate Editor
According to Mental Health America, depression
is as costly to the US economy as heart disease or AIDS, resulting in over !" #illion lost
due to a#senteeism $rom %or& and productivity losses. The average lost time at %or& due
to depression is appro'imately "() million days yearly.
Staying productive at %or& is undou#tedly among the most challenging components o$
my recovery. It*s hard enough to get out o$ #ed some mornings, not to mention %rap my
#rain around a press release, #log post, or, +od $or#id, a presentation.
Some days I %onder %hy I #othered to put my t%o $eet on the $loor, as I accomplished
nothing #ut staring into a computer $or eight consecutive hours. ,ther days I am
success$ul at s-uee.ing a spec& o$ productivity out o$ my depressed #rain.
Here are a $e% strategies I use to get there.
1. Break it up
Ugly, really ugly is the panic I $eel %hen assigned even a petty tas& %hen I*m depressed.
I envision the completed pro/ect li&e an island $ar, $ar a%ay and immediately start
hyperventilating accompanied %ith a $lurry o$ negative intrusive thoughts0 1There is no
%ay in hell you are going to get there.2 1This /o# is simply impossi#le $eeling the %ay I
am.2 1Should I even attempt this32 1I*m a loser %ith a mal$unctioning #rain.2
A$ter my emotional out#urst, I usually had to the &itchen to eat something unhealthy.
Then I ta&e the #east o$ an assignment and #rea& it do%n into very small pieces. As a
%riter %ith poor concentration %hen depressed, I tell mysel$ that I need only %rite t%o
paragraphs o$ the piece right no%, this very minute. That*s all. I$ I*m $eeling
over%helmed #y t%o paragraphs, I #rea& that do%n $urther into one sentence at a time. I$
it*s a longer pro/ect 4 li&e my #oo& 4 I loo&ed at the calendar, and gave mysel$
$ourteen separate deadlines, one $or each chapter. Then I separated the chapters into
sections. 5inally the pieces %ere so small that the island $ar a%ay could #e reached #y
#oat.
2. Start in the middle
I$, a$ter #rea&ing do%n the tas&, I*m still paraly.ed, I $ollo% a piece o$ advice I learned
$rom an accomplished %riter $riend o$ mine. I as&ed her %hat she does in the midst o$ a
severe case o$ %riter*s #loc&.
1I start in the middle,2 she said. 1The #eginning contains too much pressure. I don*t yet
&no% the end. So I ta&e a shot at the middle.2
Another %riter $riend o$ mine says he simply %rites do%n any thought that comes to him.
It can #e completely unrelated to the piece he is %riting, as it*s merely an e'ercise to
%arm up his stalled #rain. That unrelated sentence might lead to another unrelated
sentence, %hich might lead to a sentence that has something to do %ith the memo or
essay he is supposed to complete #y the end o$ the day.
3. ake !reaks
Brea&s are the allies o$ persons %ith depression. 6e o$ten thin& %e are most productive
%hen %e plug through a pro/ect %ithout loo&ing up7 ho%ever research indicates that
ta&ing #rea&s can decrease stress hormones, increase dopamine and other $eel8good
chemicals, and strengthen the neural connections that aids memory and e'ecutive
$unctions. In other %ords, #rea&s ma&e us more productive. They are especially necessary
$or depressed persons, #ecause our #rains are already %or&ing overtime.
Trying to re$rame negative thoughts )9:( consumes an incredi#le amount o$ energy. ;our
delicate noggin is going to #lo% a $use i$ you don*t stop and #reathe. <onsider your #rain
as a %eary #ody in a #oot camp class at the gym. Best to ta&e the %ater #rea& and
hydrate.
". #ean into the $ind
J. =aymond De>aulo, M.D., author o$ Understanding Depression uses a great phrase
%hen tal&ing a#out %or&ing %hile depressed0 1;ou have to lean into the %ind.2
This means di$$erent things $or di$$erent people. My /o# is $le'i#le enough that I try to
cran& out as many tas&s as I can %hen I am $eeling good so that I can allo% a little
do%ntime %hen I*m depressed or an'ious. I reali.e many positions don*t allo% that
lu'ury. Ho%ever, perhaps there is some %ay you can ta&e advantage o$ your stronger
days to allo% you the cushion on the days you struggle.
%. #earn some calming techni&ues
I #rea& the rule on corporate eti-uette #y #lasting calming music into a set o$ earphones
%hen at the o$$ice. ,$ course, %hen someone snea&s up on me to tell me something, I
scream, and that negatives the e$$ect. But the music really does soothe my nerves. ?ven
;anni.
I also practice deep #reathing as I %rite, usually the s-uare #reathing method0 inhaling to
a count o$ $our, holding my #reath to $our, e'haling to $our, holding my #reath to $our,
and starting again. It*s Deep Breathing $or Idiots. ;ou can also simply #reathe out o$
your nose, %hich constrains your #reathing and has calming e$$ects. I also tighten my $ist,
envision the person I*d li&e to punch, and release.
'. (et venting !uddies
I*m $ortunate to have several people at %or& that &no% I*m $ragile, stressed, depressed,
an'ious, and the good &ind o$ cra.y. So %hen I $eel the tears coming on, I can usually
gra# one o$ them and head to the #athroom.
,pening up to one or t%o people you thin& you can trust %ill ma&e you $eel less isolated.
And, since they already &no% all the players at the o$$ice, they have an advantage over
your therapist i$ you $eel com$orta#le enough airing your $rustrations related to %or&. Just
don*t gossip too much, #ecause that gives you #ad &arma, and you don*t need anything
else %or&ing against you.
7. Personali)e $orkspace
My des& is, %ell, a re$lection o$ me and my pursuit to stay alive and $unctioning. 5irst, I
have a massive Happy@ite that screams 1Dar&ness, go a%ayAA2 Then there are the
spiritual sayings hanging every%here 4 the Serenity >rayer, the >rayer o$ St. 5rancis,
and others 4 that scream, 1Dar&ness, go a%ayAAA2
5inally, there are some $avorite pictures o$ my $amily that scream, 1;ou need this /o#AAA
Don*t -uit yetA2 All o$ them inspire me to &eep going. I get discouraged. I %ant to give
up. I loo& at one o$ these things, and I thin&, 1,h yeah.2

Anda mungkin juga menyukai