Having a career in the financial industry can be challenging to say the least. Long hours, constant pressure, intense competition, and short term deadlines tend to be the norm in the business. Company culture tries to support a work-life balance, but often you find yourself not even able to get up to go to the bathroom, let alone think about self-care!
Today, due to COVID-19, you find that there is more stress at work. The financial industry is constantly changing with the concerns over the impact of COVID-19 on the market and businesses. Companies are trying to find a way to operate on the bare minimum to save money, resulting in less staff and resources. You find your work load is increasing and you are feeling stretched to the limit. Not only are you trying to accomplish work demands, but you are also trying to adjust to working from home. The already fine line between work and home life has become blurred. Vacations are basically non-existent and socializing is limited. With high expectations, limited time off and constant access to your work at home, how do you manage it all? When do you give yourself a break?
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
Unfortunately, in such a demanding environment, mental health problems thrive. There are rising levels of depression, burnout, and anxiety in the financial sector. This may look like:
Apathy
Worry
Panic attacks
Low energy
Lack of focus
Irritability
Poor eating habits
Lack of sleep
Medical problems mount as a result of unmanaged stress
Stress-related illnesses:
Heart attacks
Headaches
High blood pressure
Loss of memory
Skin conditions
Autoimmune disorders
Digestive problems
If you are experiencing any of these problems, it should not be swept under the rug. Finding a balance in your life is vital to tackling these problems. Without some semblance of balance- your career, relationships, health and sense of self will suffer.
Listening to your body’s cues:
For some reason the term self-care makes you think of images of face masks and lemon water. You may feel like it is a self-indulging luxury that you do not have the time to incorporate. However, it is an essential tool to ward off mental and physical health problems.
The best way to practice self-care is actually to just listen to your body’s cues. If your brain feels fried it means taking a quick time-out to reboot and clear your head. If you are falling asleep while working, give yourself 20 minutes to rest. If your mind is racing, allow yourself that time to meditate and center yourself. If you are reacting irritably and shortly to others, then take a break and grab a bite to eat or some fresh air. Being in tune to your body’s needs is a crucial factor in incorporating self-care. Noticing warning signs of burn-out, stress, overwhelm and anxiety and treating these signs rather than ignoring them is excellent self-care. We often try to push through our body’s signs of stress. Ignoring these signs only leads to consequences in some other way.
Ways to incorporate self-care:
Listening to your body’s cues and reacting in real-time is an important aspect of self-care. There are also preventative actions you can take ahead of time to reduce the risk of stress-related illness. Incorporating small moments of self-care throughout your routine is an easy way to get started.
Self-care looks different for everyone. It can include so many things like exercise, meditation, reading, writing, painting, or listening to music. The key is to find something you’re motivated to do and start with small steps. You could even start with 50 jumping jacks a day just to get your blood flowing. Meditation apps and a quick walk are also excellent ways to slowly begin to incorporate self-care. Allowing yourself to view self-care as a priority is crucial and even better is when you can make it a part of your daily routine. You will see that these small breaks and focus on well-being will pay off. The time spent on yourself will give back in dividends.
The harder work begins when you start to make more drastic life changes. Self-exploration and positive shifts in behavioral patterns will help provide sustainable improvements in well-being and self-care. These changes are the hardest to implement because we often do not know where to start. We may not recognize the behavioral patterns that could use attention. If we did then we would have changed them already! Having a positive support system who can hold you accountable for changes and shed light on areas for improvement is always a good start for change.
How therapy can help:
You probably know that self-care is important, but you may be finding it challenging to incorporate it into your daily life. You may not know where to begin. Therapy can help with this! By scheduling a dedicated time each week to speak to a professional, you will find that your well-being will begin to improve. With online counseling, it can even be done from the comfort of your own home with so much flexibility!
Working with a therapist will help guide you through self-exploration and into a phase of creating positive change and success. The process will facilitate healthier lifestyle choices and lead to more peace of mind. It will also support you in finding a better balance in your life, by guiding you in navigating your career, family life and all of the other stressors on your plate. Part of the work includes developing different coping mechanisms, stress reduction techniques and mindfulness that you can begin integrating into your everyday life and lead you towards goal achievement.
Therapy is especially important if you are experiencing the symptoms raised earlier in this blog such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, and racing thoughts. If you notice these symptoms, talking to a professional can drastically change the course of how you are feeling. Therapists will use techniques such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a mix of approaches to determine effective coping mechanisms and self-care activities that will help you. Therapists will also guide you in identifying and changing negative thought patterns to reduce negative self-talk and improve positivity.
For more information please contact us at Anchor Therapy to see how we can help by filling out the form below!
Elena Lucanie, LPC, LMHC
is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Hoboken, New Jersey. She specializes in helping teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, relationship issues, and life transitions through counseling. Elena can help NJ and NY residents through telehealth (video/phone) therapy sessions as well.
