Navigating the Dual Challenges of Physical and Mental Health at Work

Having a disability adds real difficulties to your work life, whether those disabilities are related to your physical or mental health. And when you are dealing with both physical and mental health at the same time, the challenge is that much greater! The data on this point is staggering: 92% of employees face mental health challenges that influence their work. Additionally, estimates suggest that nearly 30% of American adults are disabled. Disabilities don’t get left at the door when you enter your place of work. They inform how you communicate, how you perform tasks, and how you show up as an employee.

Are you interested in the mind-body connection? What about the potential for your physical and mental health to impact your performance at work? This blog is for you. We’ll unpack the relationship between disabilities and mental health challenges and give you practical advice for how to maintain productivity, reduce stress, and find the right support for your unique needs as you navigate mental and physical struggles in the workplace.  

Analyzing the Intersection of Physical Disabilities and Mental Health Challenges

Disabilities can be both mental and physical. Depression, for instance, is a disability characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, feelings of hopelessness, and changes of appetite and sleep. Common physical disabilities include spinal disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, lower-limb deficiencies, osteoarthritis, and vision impairments. 

According to the World Health Organization, 54 million people in the U.S. struggle with both mental and physical disabilities. Disabilities can lead to mental health conditions, as they cause people to feel isolated, frustrated, and even discriminated against in certain settings. Because mental health conditions negatively affect quality of life and mindset, they can then make pre-existing disabilities more difficult to cope with. Falling into a cycle of physical and mental health symptoms that hold you back from feeling and being your best is all too possible and all too common, which leads us to our next point: mental health at work. 

Workplace Health and You: How Wellness Impacts Performance

Did you know that only 4% of employees report having a disability? Even more shocking, 25% of employees have unreported disabilities. At Perusta, we’re committed to making the invisible, visible — making the workplace a space where you can seek and receive adequate support for your physical and mental health challenges. Societal stigmas may make it difficult to discuss mental health with your employer or coworkers, putting an additional barrier in place. The transformation we’re seeking starts with understanding how your workplace health and performance ultimately intertwine. 

Mental health conditions can decrease productivity, increase the amount of time you need to take off from work, and limit your overall ability to complete tasks on time. Adapting to different workplace demands isn’t easy when your concentration, stamina, and ability to communicate with teammates are affected, but this is the reality of workplace health if you struggle with mental illness. 

Physical disabilities only exacerbate these issues as you may face mobility limitations, fatigue, pain, and sensory and cognitive impairments. Some people may take something as simple as walking around the office for granted, but if you have a musculoskeletal disorder like fibromyalgia, for instance, everyday tasks like getting up from your desk or accessing the breakroom may be significantly painful and uncomfortable, potentially impacting your ability to socialize and attend meetings. Meanwhile, visual impairments can make using computer screens and other necessary devices challenging, slowing down your work. We could continue listing examples, but it’s more practical to address how you can take charge of your workplace health to better your wellbeing and performance.

Coping Mechanisms and Next Steps

Struggling with physical and mental health can be incredibly discouraging. But don’t lose hope! There are a variety of solutions and accommodations you can lean on to enhance your mental health at work and find the support you need to succeed. Here are a few suggestions:    

Lower Stress, Boost Productivity 

How do you recharge and refocus throughout the day? How do you ensure workplace issues don’t take a toll on your personal life? Perusta recommends using the following healthy coping mechanisms to reduce stress and manage your mental health at work: 

• Take breaks and set realistic goals: Quick breathers between tasks will help replenish your energy stores while attainable goals will give you a sense of achievement you can use to motivate and cheer yourself on. 
• Adopt relaxation techniques: Deep breathing and meditation are great ways to find calm amidst the chaos on a busy workday. The best part is that you can do both without leaving your desk.
• Eat well and develop a healthy sleep routine: Take health home with you and try to establish better dietary and sleep habits. This can improve the mind-body connection, giving you the rest and nutrition required to tackle workplace stressors.  
• Set healthy boundaries: Whether it’s a more flexible schedule or no longer responding to emails after a certain time, remember that work-life balance is important. With the right boundaries in place, you give yourself a better chance of thriving both at home and on the job. 
• Communicate and be proactive: Communication can mean building positive relationships with your coworkers as well as reaching out to your manager or supervisor when you’re struggling to keep up with deadlines and expectations. Make yourself seen and heard. When you disclose your disability, your employer can help you get appropriate accommodations for your condition.

You can also explore the Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing for a comprehensive take on how to harmonize your work life and your journey to whole-body health.  

Give Yourself a Helping Hand 

Accommodations are one thing, but what about therapy or counseling? We understand that locating mental health resources can be a struggle all its own, but we want to encourage you to seek help from mental health professionals when the stress you’re experiencing at work is too much to handle by yourself. The right therapist will know how to talk about mental illness and physical disabilities, and they will likely have solutions and therapeutic exercises they can offer to help you overcome everyday challenges and start a more long-term journey towards mental wellness and balance. 

Wellness in the workplace programs are also a great option. From fitness trackers to meditation apps, many employers extend wellness benefits to their employees. The majority of these programs won’t tackle mental health challenges or disabilities specifically, but they can help you manage your response to stress and improve your general health over time, easing the burden of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.  

Perusta Understands the Mind-Body Connection 

You are a valuable member of your workforce, and you deserve the kind of support that acknowledges mind and body together to help you perform at your best. That’s why Perusta is rethinking wellness in the workplace programs to bring you and your employer fully accessible mental health solutions you can truly rely on. Contact us today to see how we can partner with your employer to make mental health a priority in your workforce.