Your job should not be at the expense of your mental health

With October being mental health awareness month, I sat and pondered what this campaign was all about.

Before I give my take on anxiety, depression, stress and other mental health-related illnesses, allow me to say as Xhosa Africans, we don’t have the above in our vocabulary. Or I am mistaken, we do but they only apply to women. There is KwaXhosa indoda ayikhali (a man does not cry), indoda inesifuba (a man is secretive), indoda yomelele (a man is super strong) and many other things that a man doesn't do.

Do you think Phiri Cawe would ever be depressed in this world? Yes, I can be but I shouldn’t be according to these societal norms.

Those who advocate for mental health should start with black Africans. After that, they should go to all the workplaces, especially those which have deadlines. If there are places of work that are ruthless and cruel to its workers, it is media houses, they top the list, teaching in our day comes second, with policing, nursing and the work of doctors followed by cashiers at the stores.

This is not scientific as I have done no research. All this comes from my big head from seeing and observing the behaviour of the people who work as journalists, teachers, nurses, shop tellers and police officers. Once you deal with them, it becomes obvious that their working lives have a major impact on their mental wellbeing.

Let me take reporters for instance, they are not different from the example I made of a Xhosa man. Journalists are viewed by many as strong people, knowledgeable and brave. They are viewed as individuals who would never fall ill even by their bosses. Keep in mind that these are people who see horrible accidents, scenes of heinous crimes, they jump over corpses and have to process all this when they write their stories. I am tempted to say even nurses, doctors and police officers are on the same page.

On top of that you will face somebody who cares only about the deadline rather than your health. Journalists work under tough conditions with little resources, little pay and no increases for years.

The headspace of an uncared for worker could never be clear.

Those who advocate for mental health should give a nudge to those who lead in work spaces to make a change.

Speak to any worker on the above mentioned careers, they are miserable. But if you are miserable at your workplace, you are not alone.

Leaders want to show that they are powerful while workers are scared to lose their jobs. If you lead and you have never taken an opportunity to find out how depressed or burnt out your employees are, you are not living in this country with a high rate of crime where even journalists are asked for extortion fees.

It is important to produce good work because this is what one is hired or employed to do, but it should not be at the expense of your health.