Depression does more than make you feel sad and lonely — it can paralyze your life. Normal, everyday tasks become chores, and chores become overwhelming obstacles.
When depression digs in, you may feel like retreating and isolating yourself from the world, so you decline invitations to go out with friends and you leave the dishes in the sink. But unless you’re independently wealthy, you still have to go to work.
Our team at Vital TMS therapy understands that getting yourself to work everyday can feel like a Herculean feat, and we can help. Here, our depression experts share their best tips for handling your depression symptoms on the job.
Don’t keep your depression a secret
Depression affects your ability to focus on the tasks of the day and remember directives. This means you may take longer to complete a job than it should or you might miss some details. To co-workers and bosses, this behavior communicates lack of interest, lethargy, and laziness. They may even assume you’re irresponsible or incapable of performing the job.
While it may feel uncomfortable revealing your personal information, it’s better to dispel the myth that you’re not a hard worker or that you just don’t care. If your employer knows you’re struggling, they might be able to provide special accommodations for your condition.
Create manageable tasks
If you’re like most people, you deal with a variety of projects of different scopes and sizes during any given day. But when you suffer from depression, even the small ones can seem insurmountable.
We suggest compartmentalizing your to-do list and breaking up all tasks, even small ones, into micro tasks. For example, if you need to compose a long email or memo, take a break after each paragraph.
Know your limits
You have enough to handle with your normal workload, so now is not the time to take on extra duties. When you get your depression under control, you can be magnanimous and help out a co-worker who wants to offload some tasks, but until that time, protect yourself from the weight of too much work by respectfully, but firmly, declining.
If it’s not in your job description, it’s off limits for now. It may help to rehearse a few scenarios that may pop up during the day so you’re prepared with an answer.
Alter your work environment
Certain environments can either help or exacerbate your depression, so take some time to learn how your work space makes you feel. Is it too warm or too cold? Are the lights too bright or too dim? Do some colors make you feel down while others seem to lift you up? You may be able to get through the day a little more easily if you can make simple changes to your work environment.
Take notes
One of the classic symptoms of depression is brain fog or lack of concentration and a sluggish memory. If you find that you get back to your desk after a meeting and can’t remember what you’re supposed to do with the information you just received, you need to step up your note taking-game. Keep a notebook or your phone’s notes app handy so you can record important details.
Get professional help
While these tips can make your work life a little smoother, they don’t address your depression. And if you feel like you’ve tried everything to improve your symptoms but you still can’t get a handle on them, you might be a perfect candidate for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
We specialize in this effective, FDA-approved treatment for major depression. TMS is noninvasive, painless, and drug-free. During treatment, the device is placed over your head while you sit comfortably in a chair wide awake. Although the machine makes a clicking sound, there is no pain involved.
The device emits magnetic pulses that stimulate the nerves in the region of your brain responsible for your moods. The stimulation triggers a natural production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Depression medications attempt to do the same thing, so with TMS, you’re getting all the benefits without the drugs.
Your treatment only takes about a half an hour, and you need about five sessions a week for seven weeks to see the best results.
Find out if TMS therapy can help you manage your depression. Contact the team at Vital TMS Therapy by calling 202-335-4114. You can also request a consultation online.
