Why Mental Health Belongs in Your Career Plan: Integrating Wellness into Work and Life Decisions
When people think about career planning, they often focus on practical things like job title and salary. But there’s another key factor that’s worth considering: your mental health. Regardless of what you do for work, your well-being will directly affect how satisfied and successful you feel in your career.
Career and Mental Health Are Connected
A job that doesn’t support your values, drains your energy because it’s not suited to your personality, or otherwise creates stress, anxiety, and burnout due to a mismatch between the work environment and your needs, are important considerations when making career decisions. Here are a few things to look out for as signs your career may be affecting your mental health:
- Constant stress or Sunday night dread
- Trouble focusing or feeling disengaged at work
- Decline in motivation, energy, or physical health
- Lack of meaning or connection in your role
Looking beyond job titles towards how well a career path aligns with who you are and what you need from your work will allow you to pursue a more meaningful, sustainable, and healthy path forward.
Building Mental Health into Career Decisions
Exploring independently or with the help of a career counsellor things like your career values and how well work opportunities align with your energy or personality will help to ensure greater sense of work wellness. This will not only support your wellbeing but also the level of fulfillment and meaning that you derive from your work.
Moving Forward
A fulfilling career for many people is more than moving up the ladder or a shiny new job title – it’s about finding fit between what you do and who you are. At Canada Career Counselling, we help people across Canada make career choices in a way that supports not only your life goals but also your well-being. If you’re ready to explore your next step, our team can support you in creating a career path that sustains both your professional success and personal satisfaction.
