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Mental health doesn’t impact just the mind; it also impacts physical health. For instance, cortisol, the hormone released to help manage stress, can result in a lowered ability of the body to fight infections when there are consistently higher levels of cortisol released over a prolonged period of time. This weakens the body’s immune system (University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, 2025). It can also lead to increased biological aging, resulting in faster rates of certain diseases (Green, 2026).
However, even with that, mental health is often dismissed as less important than physical health. This is partly due to the way deteriorating physical health can result in visible symptoms, while mental health might not. For example, even something like a cold accompanies a cough, a runny nose, a fever, or other symptoms –things that visibly show others that the individual is ill. Mental illnesses, however, often don’t have such visibly obvious symptoms. Of course, there is also a stigma associated with mental illnesses, and a poll found that 35% of Americans would view someone differently if they knew that they had a mental health condition (The Harris Poll, 2025), and that same poll found that 84% say that the term “mental illness” itself carries a stigma. This doesn’t just have social repercussions surrounding the widespread view on mental health, but it impacts the willingness to even receive treatment. The Harris Poll found that 41% of polled Americans say that they would be uncomfortable asking for help, and more of them would be comfortable requesting help for physical issues than mental ones when it comes to accommodations at work or school. Even still, for both categories, the percentage of Americans willing to ask for those accommodations is less than half. The Effect of the Workplace on Mental Health People exist in the context of their environments, meaning that where we spend our lives and who we spend them with is an important factor in our lives and health. As it’s estimated that 61% of the world works (World Bank Group, 2026), it’s important to consider the impact of the workplace on mental health, which can be both positive and negative. For example, more than half of polled U.S. workers exhibited moderate to severe levels of depression, and almost three-quarters had minor to severe levels of depression (Mind Share Partners & Qualtrics, 2025). Anxiety is also another common mental illness among workers. It isn’t just mental illness, either; the workplace can contribute to poor mental health even outside of illnesses such as depression. One study found that 84% of polled U.S. workers felt that their workplace had at least one factor that negatively affected their mental health (Mind Share Partners et al., 2021), often emotionally draining work or poor work-life balance. Negative Impact of the Workplace on Mental Health One way that the workplace can negatively impact mental health is through job insecurity, which can result in lower self-esteem, impaired functioning, and worsened mental health challenges (Keil, 2026). Of course, there is also the reality that a toxic workplace is an additional source of stress, with 18% of workers describing their workplace as such according to the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2022. Another way is by causing burnout, defined as a state of physical or emotional exhaustion often caused by prolonged stress (Mayo Clinic, 2023). There are many symptoms of burnout, such as questioning the value of your work, losing patience or focus, lacking interest in work, suddenly having physical symptoms, and others. There are also different causes of burnout, some of which are feeling a lack of control in what you do or having poor work-life balance. There are ways to handle workplace burnout, such as reaching out to coworkers to divide the workload, contacting your support network, or trying to find new ways to relax. These are often common tactics used to support better mental health in the workplace, as well. Resources Provided for Mental Health at Work Sometimes, the workplace can directly provide tools to help, and in fact, 81% of polled Americans said that they would be looking at whether the workplace supports mental health when looking for future work (APA, 2022), while 71% of workers felt that their employers were more concerned about mental health than in the past. According to this same study, some ways that employees felt that their employers could support them were offering support, respecting time off, and having remote jobs or a four-day work week. Interestingly, one of the most popular opinions was that, of workers whose workplaces offer insurance that covers mental health, it’s an effective means of support; individuals also felt the same about mental health training when their workplace includes that. In the U.S., there are certain legal rights concerning mental health (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.), such as being protected against discrimination based on your mental health condition (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990); this act also requires reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities, which includes certain mental illnesses. The U.S. Department of Labor also offers a list of resources to support workers, as well as resources for workers themselves to use, which is linked under the references section. There are many resources available to help support mental health at work, some of which might be offered by the workplace such as partnering with mental health providers (WorkLife Partnership, n.d.), and others that can be done at home, such as meditating, and having a work-life balance, which is one of the most common recommendations in the sources found. The need to have a balance between work and life outside of it is extremely important. Positive Impacts of the Workplace on Mental Health Even though it’s important to bear in mind that work-life balance is essential, it’s equally as important to remember that the impact of work on mental health isn’t solely negative; work provides many benefits as well. As the World Health Organization (2024) points out, work can help improve mental health by providing workers with “a livelihood; a sense of confidence, purpose and achievement; an opportunity for positive relationships and inclusion in a community; and a platform for structured routines, among many other benefits.” It goes on to say that the workplace can even benefit those with existing mental health conditions. In addition, feeling that you matter at work helps reduce stress (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2025); it’s also been shown that opportunities for growth at work help to improve confidence in one’s abilities, which is part of having a high self-efficacy, something that has been shown to be an important factor in happiness as you grow older (Babazadeh et al., 2025.) Work also provides important social interactions, particularly if the connections with coworkers are meaningful (Keil, 2026). It can foster a sense of belonging, which matters since humans are social creatures. Keil (2026) also states that the routine offered by work is an important benefit, due to the feeling of structure it can provide, and he even goes to say that “a clear schedule and well-defined tasks can reduce anxiety and increase a sense of control over one’s environment, positively influencing mental health.” In short, the workplace has many effects on mental health, some of which are adverse and others which are beneficial, and even for the negative impacts on well-being, there are resources available to help. Work is an important part of our lives, which means that the effect it has on mental health is equally as important as the effect on physical health. Some more resources available for mental health support in the work place, such as that offered by Mental Health America and the Center for Workplace Mental Health, are contained below, and there are countless others available. References Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990). Babazadeh, T., Ranjbaran, S., Pourrazavi, S., Chollou, K.M., Nadi, A., & Tazekand, E.S. (2025). Self-efficacy, self-esteem, and happiness in older adults: A cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE 20(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319269 Green, R. (2026, February 25). The Connection Between Mental Health and Physical Health. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-mental-and-physical-health-connection-7255857 How your mental health affects your physical health — and why that matters at work. (2025, September 23). University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://uihc.org/health-topics/how-your-mental-health-affects-your-physical-health-and-why-matters-work Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. (2023, November 30). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642 Keil, J. (February 6, 2026). The impact of work on mental health. Nilo. https://nilohealth.com/blog/the-impact-of-work-on-mental-health/ Mental health awareness month: Key findings on U.S. attitudes and barriers to care. (2025). The Harris Poll. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://theharrispoll.com/articles/mental-health-awareness-month-key-findings-on-u-s-attitudes-and-barriers-to-care-2/ Mental health at work. (2024, September 2). The World Health Organization. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work Mental health at work. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.dol.gov/general/mental-health-at-work Mental health support. (n.d.) WorkLife Partnership. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.worklifepartnership.org/mental-health-support/ Mind Share Partners & Qualtrics. (2025). 2025 mental health at work report. Mind Share Partners. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://mindshare.box.com/shared/static/60sc45b7x4ogkr9kyo1sv8r2yglrf5aw.pdf Mind Share Partners, Qualtrics, and ServiceNow. (2021). 2021 mental health at work report. Mind Share Partners. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://mindshare.box.com/shared/static/dl36pf2ii3f6zlmoccyk5pd3ebxffgo9.pdf Workers appreciate and seek mental health support in the workplace. (2022, July). American Psychological Association. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-well-being/2022-mental-health-support#:%7E:text=A%20majority%20%2881%25%29%20of,into%20their%20future%20job%20decisions Workplace mental health and well-being. (2025, January 24). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/workplace-well-being/index.html World Bank Group. (2026). Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.TLF.CACT.ZS). World Bank Group. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.ZS
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Job burnout is a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity. It can be considered a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job, and is defined by the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficiency. Burnout can be caused by being overworked, understaffed, and misguided by management. There is an abundance of research on the topic of burnout and how it relates to employee engagement and work life balance. Like many things in an organization, it can have a dramatic impact on one’s mental and physical health.
Personality plays a key role in how well we manage our time and responsibilities. This suggests that a positive mindset and attitude can help reduce stress when under pressure. One study found that all five personality traits from the Big Five model were highly correlated with job burnout and turnover. The traits were found to be predictors of job burnout where individuals who were higher in neuroticism and lower in extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were more prone to experience job burnout. It seems that communication and collaboration with other team members can dramatically decrease the effects of burnout. When an individual is overworked for a long period of time, they can experience chronic burnout. It has three components: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and detachment. It’s different from short term burnout due to the fact that it can result in serious health issues. Long term stress on a person’s body can affect mood, heart health, and more. On top of that, it can weaken the feelings of fulfillment from job rewards (i.e. paycheck), employee engagement, and job creativity. This would mean that there are virtually no motivators either external or internal that would drive an employee to continue the job. This is how high turnover occurs. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce burnout. Although personality cannot be changed, specific behaviors and habits can. Next time you feel stressed about a project, try reaching out to a coworker. Talking it out with someone can be beneficial for both problem solving and mental stability. We are all human, and sometimes we need a break. It’s important for organizations to schedule consistent breaks for their employees so that productivity can be maximized. It’s also crucial that employees’ personal lives be considered so that everyone can have a good work life balance. If a team member is not performing as well as they should, try to first consider what’s going on in their lives. They could be going through a personal issue and need some time off. All employees need to be able to feel that they have control over their careers. Without it, they can feel helpless, overworked and burnt out. References
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