Aishatu's Story; Why you should Care

Aishatu is a 26 year old middle class worker in a reputable local Community Based Organization (CBO).  She has earned the reputation of being the most productive and performing staff due to her dexterity in multitasking on different genres of programming such as health/HIV/AIDS, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, gender rights, agriculture and the likes-yes she is that good.She is the envy of her co-worker, either positively and negatively. As far her Aishatu is concerned there is "impossible" in her vocabulary and attitude to assigned ask.

She recently got promoted to the management level, everything is looking well on the outside for her or so it seem. Two members of her team have made it their life-goals to emotionally torment her, it's an open secret, their toxic behavior towards her is gradually suffocating. She chose the path of avoidance rather than confrontation for her peace of mind at least thought far from finding solace from taking in daily dose of poisonous work environment.
Related; How Do I deal with Annoying Co-worker?

Beneath all these, Aishatu have to cook for her children and husband Yusuf, take care of their physical and emotional needs with the proverbial 24 hours never being enough. At night, she dreads being touched by her husband when he initiates foreplay; she has lost interest in sexual intercourse  even though she have tried hard to rekindled the sweet vibes his touch sends done her spine. She still loves Yusuf deeply. 

Top of this, she spends sleepless nights in a row to keep-up-with target and deadlines after implementing activities at poor rural northern communities -her passion to support vulnerable household is unmatched just like her  irregular meals or absence thereof, regular chest pains, blurry red eyes from starring all night at the computer screen. Coupled with constant anxiety. Her physical health is failing as she was recently diagnosed with low blood count and at the verge of  a heart attack from stress. Her social intelligence is at zero level-no time to socialize. 

 How and who will Aishatu explain these feelings of ;

• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood.
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex.
• Restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying.
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism.
• Sleeping too little, early-morning waking?

Physical well being has traditionally been the parameter for measuring/ the over all wellness of an individual from Aishatu's  home country in Nigeria.It is no secret that the issues on mental health disorders is a taboo to speak about. Including barriers such as myths, stigma, discrimination, cultural and religious factors to mention a few. At the national level, mental health is not a priority for policy and decision makers. No wonder this sector is largely absent, neglected and underfunded as the case may be. Shortage of  researchers, professionals and facilities is one of the aftermath effects The handful available mental health care facilities are situated at the city centres, costly or affordable for average man and poor communities. Community mental health services is far from being integrated into primary health care centres.

Related; Type A vs. Type B Co-worker;Coping Tips

World Mental Health Day is held every 10 October and is used in raising awareness of mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of better mental health. This year's theme is  

Mental health in the workplace. I am also using this occasion to introduce "9jaMindWorks"
; my latest attempt at reshaping my focus on mental health campaign, advocacy and coaching. These have been my passions since my undergraduate days when I launched BabySteps Psycholology Magazine and later Joyce Psychology Magazine. It has not been easy but the strides are steady and fulling. Thank you all for your support/readership. 9jaMindWorks is same platform for blending minds only with more effective strategies which I will talk more about. Now let's get back to Aishatu.

Many can relate to Aishatu's predicament either at work, home, family, relationships, friendships etc. She is suffering from DEPRESSION. Having to combine work and family life coupled with the economic crisis and bad governance. It becomes double tragedy to suffer mental health problems at work environment where most adults spend a large proportion of their lives. Toxic behaviors, difficult personality disorders and conflict at work place are daily fumes inhaled by "innocent" coworker/s

EFFECT OF TOXIC WORKPLACE; PHYSICAL HEALTH 

Workplace stress poses risk to health. A negative or toxic working environment lead to physical and mental health problems, harmful use of substances or alcohol, absenteeism and lost productivity.

• The negative health consequences of absorbing toxic people's venom: range from eczema, increased anxiety, insomnia and high blood pressure, to name a few. (Helmholtz Zentrum, German research centre for environmental health, 2013) 
• Depression and anxiety disorders are common mental disorders that have an impact on our ability to work, and to work productively.
• Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, the leading cause of disability. More than 260 million are living with anxiety disorders. Many of these people live with both.
• Stressful situations at work can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system and the metabolism. Stress, which is transmitted by direct and indirect signaling pathways, leads to an inflammatory response in the body, which can trigger cardiovascular diseases, amongst others
• Those who experience psychological stress at work face twice the risk of cardiovascular disease. The list of such evidence is extensive. 

Can you name any toxic or negative attitudes you face at work or any social environment? Find out more on how to cope on next article.Please send us a message to find our more on how to deal with mental health problems.Yes it is very fine to talk about those feelings and seek for help. We also provide referral services nearest to your community.

Email:9jamindworks@gmail.com