Career

A Guide to Surviving the Workplace Crush

Author By Ashley Laderer, Contributor
Posted:
coworkers hanging out at the office laughing

The only time I was actually excited to go to my old job was when I knew my work crush was going to be there. It was a retail job at a shoe store —not a typical 9-5 — so I didn’t see him everyday. But when we did work the same shifts…oh boy.

My mood was totally different on those days. I was excited to go to work and even happy to be at the store. I had a pep (or, um, maybe a sexy strut?) in my step. There was something to think about other than how boring and miserable work was. Finally, I had a reason to go to work. Continue reading A Guide to Surviving the Workplace Crush

5 Signs You Need to Handle Stress Differently

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
woman with head against window with arms stretched behind her

Stress is an overarching theme in most of our lives. Though we’re all busy, everyone finds time to talk about being stressed, unable to meet the competing demands of work and family, not to mention friends, hobbies, and self-care.

This is a difficult way to live — and whether or not our culture requires such stressful excess — maintaining a breakneck pace can sabotage your ability to enjoy your day-to-day existence. Everyone handles stress differently, but some people are less able to adapt to it than others.

Continue reading 5 Signs You Need to Handle Stress Differently

How to Manage Work While Coping With PTSD

Author By Jen Mediano, Contributor
Posted:
Business man staring out of a window

When I got to work that morning, I had to stand to keep myself calm. I couldn’t sit down. I couldn’t concentrate. My vision was blurred. A coworker peeked her head into my cubicle to say good morning and I almost jumped out of my skin. I texted my husband to tell him what was going on. He texted back to say that he’d made an appointment with my primary care doctor and he was leaving work to take me there.

In the doctor’s office, I started off calmly describing these symptoms, but when she had me describe the car crash I’d been in a few weeks before, I unexpectedly burst into tears. I hadn’t been sleeping and when I did, I’d dream about my teeth flying out of my mouth from the force of the crash. I took crazy routes to avoid the exit where crash had happened, but I’d downplay the crash to anyone who’d asked. Everyone told me they’d been in worse accidents. What was wrong with me? Continue reading How to Manage Work While Coping With PTSD

How to *Actually* Communicate

Author By Tamara Stevens, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Orange telephone on a table

As much as we talk, sometimes we’re pretty bad at actually communicating. As social beings, though, our well-being depends upon effective communication. In fact, studies show good communication not only helps us meet our basic needs for food and shelter, but it’s key to establishing trusting relationships and achieving higher personal goals such as self-fulfillment.

Communication may be a vital part of our day-to-day interactions, but that doesn’t mean we automatically know how to do it effectively. In fact, in my practice, I find one of the biggest sources of relationship distress centers on communication. So how should you actually communicate? Continue reading How to *Actually* Communicate

6 Tips for Applying for Jobs When You’re Depressed

Author By Bethany Biron, Contributor
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Shadow of man walking in the rain

When you’re depressed, everything — from the most basic activity like getting out of bed to more arduous tasks like paying bills on time — can feel impossibly challenging. Add sudden unemployment, recently graduating from college, or undergoing a major career transition to the mix, and every day can feel like summiting Mount Everest.

As someone with anxiety and depression who has personally experienced various career changes, I understand firsthand how demoralizing the job hunt can be when you’re struggling with your mental health. It’s difficult to put your best foot forward when you’re not feeling like your best self. When you’re feeling down in the dumps, going through the motions of scouring job posts, writing cover letters, and preparing for interviews can be extremely draining. Continue reading 6 Tips for Applying for Jobs When You’re Depressed

How Financial Issues Impact Your Mental Health

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
Woman with coins over his eyes

It is fashionable to believe that finances shouldn’t have much of an impact on your mental health. According to the media, mental health should be equivalent across various socioeconomic classes. However, when you are struggling financially, it can have a very real effect on your mental and emotional functioning. Continue reading How Financial Issues Impact Your Mental Health

Is it Okay to Walk Away From Your Career for the Sake of Your Mental Health?

Author By Reina Gattuso, Contributor
Posted:
A man in a horse mask jumps on the beach

When I was in high school, my group of nerdy and rather competitive friends liked to play the “how-little-did-I-sleep” game. It was as absurd as it sounds.

Every morning nodding off at our high school science class desks, we would humble-brag about how much homework we had done the night before, how many activities and hours of part time work we had managed to squeeze in, and how little sleep we got. We were hard workers, with cultural messages telling us that hard work was the only way to guarantee success. We figured all that sacrificed sleep would surely pay off in future happiness — right?

Continue reading Is it Okay to Walk Away From Your Career for the Sake of Your Mental Health?

How to Check Your Ambitions When They Affect Your Mental Health

Author By Reina Gattuso, Contributor
Posted:
A man in the forest plays guitar while holding a child, next to a ballerina dancing

He was ruthless in his race to the top, picking off his competitors one by one. When he defeated his rivals and finally achieved his dream, things were great — for a moment. But soon, he was haunted by his past, discontent with the position he’d achieved, and what he wanted all along turned out to be his undoing.

Continue reading How to Check Your Ambitions When They Affect Your Mental Health

5 Ways to Bounce Back if You Get Fired

Author By Ladan Nikravan Hayes, Contributor
Posted:
A red fire extinguisher on a red wall

History is filled with trailblazers who were fired — often publicly — before finding success in their chosen field.

Steve Jobs was a wealthy, global celebrity when he was forced out of the billion-dollar company he had sacrificed everything to build. Oprah was fired from a reporter role early in her career, which led her to a more junior role. Walt Disney had a similar story, being fired from the Kansas City star for “lack of imagination and no good ideas.”

We read these stories, and so many more like them, and hope the best is likely yet to come. But finding out you are being forced out of your job is difficult, no matter how many inspirational stories you hear.

Continue reading 5 Ways to Bounce Back if You Get Fired

Why Are We So Afraid to Feel Happy?

Author By Dr. Samantha Rodman, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
A woman with smeared eye makeup holds a piece of paper with a smile on it in front of her face

Many people struggle with the fear of success, fear of closeness, or fear of happiness. Let’s say your father suffered from depression and ranted about the workplace being a dog-eat-dog environment where everyone has to watch his back.

As a child, you, like all kids, want to think of your father as intelligent and perceptive. You listened to him and thought that his worldview made sense. Even if you later realized, as an adult, that your father was a very negative and depressed person, his impact on your own worldview may be very difficult to change.

Although it isn’t rational, many people subconsciously steer themselves away from experiences where they feel good about themselves, or where they end up feeling happy. But why is this and what can you do about it?

Continue reading Why Are We So Afraid to Feel Happy?