I can genuinely say that I love my job, which I know is incredibly lucky, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes struggle with feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. Working in international recruitment is a rewarding and interesting career and I can see myself doing this for a long time. My mental health can impact my work and vice versa, and that’s okay - I now have the skills and support to help me through.

Mental health illnesses do not discriminate. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have or what you believe. It doesn’t always have to be triggered by something, it just happens. One in four people in England experience a mental health illness of some kind each year. When I was first diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety in 2015, that figure really stuck with me. One in four… There were eight of us in the team at my job at the time, which meant I probably wasn’t the only one who was struggling.

Here’s my experience and how I manage my mental health alongside work.

Disclosing your diagnosis to your employer

Following a diagnosis, it’s really important to speak to your employer if it is affecting your ability to work. They will be able to put things in place which can help and support you. For me, it felt like a weight had been lifted as I now knew why I felt the way I did. At the time, I didn’t really know how best to tell my employer, but taking a note from my doctor helped them understand. If you feel anxious about disclosing your diagnosis just remember; it’s up to you how much information you give - you don’t have to go into personal details, and you can also choose who to share it with, this could be human resources (HR), your manager, or both.

Getting support at work

After sharing your diagnosis with work, the next step is to arrange support. Explain to them how your mental health illness affects your work and suggest reasonable adjustments which you think will help you. If you aren’t sure what reasonable adjustments you can suggest, there is lots of useful information online from mental health charity Mind. Your employer can also refer you to occupational health, who will help your employer understand what adjustments could be made to support you at work. After I told my employer about my diagnosis, I had an appointment with occupational health. This was invaluable as we came up with some ways they could support me at work, such as: flexible start and finish times, working from home once a week and a referral to company counselling.

Reminding yourself of your success

Disclosing your diagnosis to your employer and arranging support can be exhausting and overwhelming. For me, it highlighted the reasons why I thought I was not capable or worthy of my job. I know that mental health can sometimes be all-consuming but I can assure you that your mental health illness does not define you. It takes time, but keep reminding yourself of your success - have a little notepad or word doc (I use google Jamboard) and write down every time someone says well done, thank you or gives you great feedback. When I feel stressed or worried at work, I read these comments and it always gives me the boost I need to carry on. Even if I’m feeling down in general, thinking about the nice comments puts a smile on my face.

For many years, I found it difficult to accept my diagnosis, and disclosing it to my employer at the time was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done. I would have been happier to be interviewed by the queen instead. I thought that my diagnosis meant that I wasn’t worthy or capable of my job, which I can now say was definitely not true! Six years on, I am in a much better position mentally and feel supported in my work and home life. If you are struggling to manage your mental health alongside work, I urge you to speak to your employer and I can promise you, you are worthy of your job.

Written by Dania