A lot of us are stuck in this cycle: we’re constantly working and it’s stressing us out, but the stress of not completing our tasks make us work harder. A potential result? Burnout.
Burnout is a big problem here. According to a survey released by health service company Cigna last year, Singaporeans are among the most stressed at work globally, with almost one in eight considering their stress unmanageable. And even millennials, the energetic and ambitious hustlers we are, aren’t spared from its clutches.
Not that it’s hard to understand why—we hold ourselves to high standards and are very mindful of productivity. But we’re certainly not doing enough to help ourselves.
“Many people are afraid of actively of disclosing, or seeking help for, their mental health challenges for fear of being perceived as ‘broken’, says Ho Lee Yen, the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer of AIA Singapore. The insurer is the first in the country to provide mental health coverage.
“Or, due to lack of awareness, we may not even be aware that what we’re experiencing is a recognised mental health issue. For instance, stress can adversely affect our mental health, but many of us are so used to living a stressful life that we rarely do anything about it. And if you just joined the workforce, you’re also faced with the stressful challenge of having to assimilate quickly and climbing the corporate ladder.”
Want to minimise your odds of suffering from burnout? Lee Yen shares five tips.