DANIELLE MUSTARDE FINDS OUT HOW TO PRACTISE BETTER WELLBEING AT WORK

“A passionate person enjoys their work, where as a workaholic is more likely to feel guilty when they’re not at work”, explains hypnotherapist, psychotherapist and Stonewall BAME role model, Zayna Ratty. “Workaholics are more likely to be worried, anxious or stressed. It’s this martyr-like syndrome that we have here in the UK. It may be achievement driven, but it’s materialistic achievement. It’s often about what car you drive or what house you live in and there’s no sustainability in that. When you’re gone, you leave only memories – that’s what’s important.”

RULE NUMBER-ONE? LEAVE WORK AT WORK

If you’re working from seven to seven, that’s half of your day gone. When are you relaxing? When are you sleeping? When are you enjoying your life?

As a culture, we don’t like admitting that we’re having trouble keeping up. It’s often seen as a sign of weakness, but as Zayna explains, it’s actually a sign of strength. “It’s someone saying, ‘I know myself enough, and no, actually I can’t do that’, and that’s ok.”

“Unfortunately, people who can’t stick to a work schedule often also have real trouble setting boundaries. As a therapist, I sometimes have to be the one that says, ‘Ok, do you think you should set a boundary here, and say that you’re not going to work until nine o’clock every day of the week?’ Because if that person starts work an hour early, then maybe they don’t go to yoga. And if they haven’t exercised at all that week, then they may begin to feel bad about themselves. They also haven’t had that time within their own head. And so, maybe making time for yoga on a Wednesday is more important than squeezing in an extra hour’s work. It sounds like such a little thing, but it’s so important to not miss out on the things that keep us healthy – physically and emotionally.”