One important thing that keeps us grounded in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life is our mental health stability. How much effort we make to ensure stable mental health is vital as we continue to face our daily activities in order to make ends meet. A lot of us, including me, do often forget that our mental health is as important as our physical well-being, and so we are always in the race of pursuing our dreams, always striving to meet the needs of our people, trying to meet deadlines without observing breaks, thereby burning out so easily.
If there's one thing I have told my inner spirit, then it is that life struggles are unending as long as we continue to exist in this life. There are always responsibilities here and there seeking our attention. There are always good reasons to keep working hard, but that shouldn't be to the detriment of my mental health. If you haven't been down mentally, then you may not understand the need to prioritize your mental health by continuing to seek ways to clear your mind and be alright despite life's ups and downs.
There was a time in my life when I intentionally prioritized my mental well-being after experiencing the negative effects such neglect was having in my life. Working in a toxic environment is a clear route to having mental health issues. I thought I could cope, but reality came knocking, and I had to quickly resign from the job. Before I got married, I was working in a big dental laboratory in Abuja, Nigeria, practicing my profession. Marriage came, and it made me leave Abuja for Lagos, Nigeria. I started job hunting again here in lagos and later secured a placement in mainland, a private dental lab, while I lived on the island with my husband.
The stress of going to the mainland daily was already a concern, but I was managing instead of staying at home doing nothing; however, I couldn't continue when the whole work environment became toxic. My boss then never respected my closing time but will threaten to cut my salary if I leave any work undone before leaving the laboratory for the day. Sometimes, I get home around 11 pm feeling exhausted and not even having the energy to perform my wifely duty to my husband. My husband started living a bachelor life again; it really got to that point.
A work environment where I am always scared to communicate with my strict boss, because he is such a rude man and will insult you for any little mistake or question he feels you should know without bothering him with it. In fact, I remember doing rehearsals always before talking to the man to avoid insults from him. You see, I was totally stressed as a staff member; there was no good communication for a better work relationship. I just had no peace working in the lab, and each day, my mental health was going down the drain. I was always sad and could transfer my aggression to anyone around me. The whole thing started affecting my relationship with people, even my colleagues in the office; we dare not relate too closely in the presence of the boss; otherwise he will conclude that we are plotting evils to divert his patients away, and of course there wasn't trust in any way.
One day, I had a reflection over the situation surrounding the job and how it's eating deep into my mental health. I needed the salary, and I also needed to be leaving the house daily but not at the detriment of my mental health. Thus I put an end to the job and had my sanity back, choosing my mental health first 👌
Overall, our mental health matters and deserves to be prioritized if we value our physical and general well-being.
This is my response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled, For Your Mental Health.
Images were taken from canva
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