ALT-1 Why being Overworked can Make you Depressed
It’s tough when you have to work long hours and have very little time to yourself. Unfortunately, you can’t escape the need to work, since it’s the only way you are able to pay the bills, which won’t stop coming in just because you haven’t got a job. However, getting the balance right between your work life and your private life can be extremely difficult and usually it’s the latter which suffers. In theory, because you have less time to spend doing the things you enjoy, you appreciate this time all the more. However, when you’re overworked you tend to be so exhausted all the time that you can’t be bothered to do anything.
It therefore doesn’t take long for depression to set in if you seem to spend your whole life at work. You may have a career which you like or you may simply have a job that pays the bills, but either way if you’re working a lot of hours each week your mental state is likely to suffer. Your physical health could also deteriorate if you’re eating a poor diet, not doing any exercise or getting enough sleep. It all catches up with you eventually and the stress that you encounter on a daily basis just makes you feel a sense of hopelessness, as though nothing is going to change and you are going to be stuck in the same situation forever.
When you feel like this you obviously can’t get any enjoyment out of life because you spend all your time worrying about everything. Even when you’re able to take a break from work you can’t relax completely, as your mind is on work. Perhaps, the office you work in can’t seem to function when you’re not around and so you know that when you get back you will have to fix other people’s mistakes and catch up on the work you’ve missed. This doesn’t make for a happy life.
You’re not even necessarily rewarded for putting in extra hours, since it comes to be expected of you. You may be in a low-paying job to begin with and have to work overtime just to make ends meet or have a career where it is expected that you will take work home with you after your working day is officially over. Consequently, it’s not as though you get any benefits from being overworked that you can enjoy, which makes you question why you bother trying so hard. Thus, it’s not really surprising if you find yourself becoming depressed about everything.
