We live in a world that is full to the brim with stress.

The stress that comes with managing your day to day life, that comes with needing to pay your bills on time – hell, there’s even stress that comes from your friends and family. All of which accumulates, taking a massive toll on your mental health.

Really, it’s no wonder that depression has become one of the most common disorders to plague modern society.

And one of the biggest drivers for stress? Work.

That’s right.

Believe it or not, but your job could very well be the root cause of all of your depression and anxiety. The stress placed on you by your boss, of meeting deadlines, or of simply needing to get your work done, can all contribute to huge declines in your mental health.

Which is why managing your depression at work is imperative to living a happier – and healthier – life.

In the following article I outline 5 tips that you can use at to defeat your depression for good.
So, without further ado.

1. Practice Meditation

Most people think of meditation as nothing more than a useless gimmick – but this couldn’t be any further from the truth.

There is a huge amount of research clearly demonstrating that meditation can reduce stress, improve mood, and help fight off depression. More importantly, it doesn’t have to be this massive thing.

In fact, simply participating in 10-15 minutes of meditation three times per week has been shown to have a seriously positive effect on mental health.

This means that you can give meditation a go at the start of your work day, or even during your lunch break, and see massive improvements in your mental state in the process.

2. Speak Up

There are times at work when you can easily fall into a vicious cycle made up of stress and depressive feelings.

Everything becomes a real challenge, and the stress of work becomes overwhelming – but you continue to put on a brave face because that is what you think is expected of you.

Your boss then comes to you with more work, and you accept.

Need to save face, right?

Your stress levels continue to climb, and you feel worse and worse by the day. You pray for reprieve, but it doesn’t come – and as a result, your mental health, your happiness, and your mood, all quickly plummet.

Like I said, it can become a very vicious cycle.

However, it doesn’t have to be.

You see, by speaking up when you feel overwhelmed, you can alert your superiors to the problem. This immediately improves your ability to manage your feelings day to day as it ensures you do not get overloaded with any more work.

Moreover, simply talking about your mental health has been shown to help fight of depressive symptoms – so it really offers a great way to improve your workplace, and help fight off depression in the process.

3. Explore TMS Therapy

TMS is a new treatment for depression that will soon be offered by Alberta as part of universal healthcare.

45% of people who undergo rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) have complete remission from depression.

How does TMS work?

You basically sit in a chair and allow magnets to stimulate your brain. Do this for 20 minutes a day for 6-12 sessions and you walk away with a 68% change of improvement and 45% chance of complete remissions for your depression. See how TMS works here.

TMS also work’s for anxiety as well. The future is bright for technologies like TMS.

4. Invest in a Light Therapy Box

You know how people say being stuck inside all day gets them feeling down? Well there is actually some truth to this.

Research has shown that people who get more sunlight are much happier than those who do not. This is because certain waves of light from the sun stimulate both hormone production and nervous system function – both of which contribute to vast improvements in mood.

Now, I appreciate that getting some sun every day can be a bit of a challenge – but there is a great alternative.

This unique mode of therapy has you stand near what is known as a ‘light therapy box’ for about 30 minutes per day. This box emits waves of light that replicate those emitted from the sun – which causes huge improvements in mood and depressive symptoms.

Now, the great thing about light therapy boxes is that they don’t take up much room – so you can actually use them at work!

5. Mix Up Your Lunch

Over the last few decades, we have seen a huge shift in the western diet.

This has been typified by an increased consumption of energy dense processed foods, and a decline in the consumption of nutrient dense whole foods.

Now, as bad as this sounds, it may actually be worse than you think – because we have recently discovered that this dietary change can negatively affect your mental health in a big way.

You see, your brain is full of these little chemicals known as neurotransmitters. It is these chemicals that allow the cells of your brain to communicate with one another, function effectively, and manage your mood.

However, if you become deficient in any of these neurotransmitters, then you are immediately at an increased risk of depression.

And can you guess what neurotransmitters are made from?

Nutrients from the food you eat.

With this in mind, making a change in your diet and improving the quality of your lunches at work can cause huge improvements in your mental health.

As a general rule of thumb, try and build your diet from whole grains, beans, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, green leafy vegetables, fish, poultry, and red meat. You should also try and avoid sugar and junk food.

Eat better = be happier. Simple.

6. Listen to Some Beat

Now, just to be clear, I am not talking about music here, but specially designed sounds known as binaural beats.

Binaural beats are a type of auditory illusion that occurs when you listen to two slightly different sound frequencies in each ear.

You see, when these sounds are played through headphones (and you are hearing slightly different notes in each ear), your brain perceives the volume of the sounds to pulse in a very unique way. Your brain then ‘syncs’ itself to the frequency of these sounds, which can actually have an impact on brain function.

While binaural beats are commonly used to improve focus and productivity, they can also be used to treat depression.

So, simply wearing some headphones and listing to some binaural beats at work offers a great way to improve your mood for the better.

Take Home Message

Work related stress is one of the main drivers for both declines in mental health and increases in depression. It is for this reason that looking after yourself at work is absolutely integral to staying happy and healthy.

Using the 5 great tips in this article, you can improve your mood and help defeat depression for good – so what are you waiting for?