Speak Up. Unplug. Recharge: How To Maintain Good Mental Health When Working in the Tech Industry

What you’ll learn:

The unique effect of the tech industry on your mental health.
How to spot when you might need support.
Practical ways in which you can improve your own mental wellbeing.
How and when to consider professional help.
How Trustco invest in mental health, not just slogans and hashtags.

In this article, Trustco’s mental health contributor, Mark Shipton – of Mind & Meaning Therapy in Epsom – covers just why the tech industry can be so potentially draining on our mental batteries, how you can identify when you need support, how to speak up and what you can do to independently support your own mental health.

Does this sound familiar?

Ever feel like you just can’t take on another task? The email notification sound is sending you into a spiral? Another group Whatsapp, another Teams message, one more “top priority job” from your boss at 5PM on a Friday.

“I know you’re busy, but…”
“It’s only a quick job…”
“CC’ing you in because you’re the only one who knows how this works…”

Work can be tough for all of us sometimes, but working in IT and tech can be especially taxing on your mental wellbeing.

Why can IT and tech industries be tough on your mental health?

We all have days when we feel down, worried, sad, or upset. Life has its ups and downs, and we are all emotional in some way or another – because we are all human.

However, working in IT and technology can be particularly tough on your mental health, and there is good reason for that:

High work demands, long hours and an “always-on” culture can have powerful effects on our minds and emotional wellbeing. For example:

The competitive nature of IT and Tech demands rapid delivery, tight deadlines, and long working hours – all of which increase stress and risk of exhaustion or burnout.

The phenomenon of being “connected all the time” via smart devices, notifications and work chats – which can erode boundaries between work and rest – leads to a low level of chronic stress, which could raise stress hormones such as cortisol and lower sleep quality.

High levels of thought-intensive tasks have been shown to induce mental fatigue. Putting high cognitive demand on your brain requires different brain waves; essentially the “type of thinking” that is required. Short bursts of this are just what the brain was built for, but too much can leave you feeling tired and with a feeling of “brain fog”.

The process of task switching – moving from your emails to a Teams chat, to coding – can hit your productivity and use up additional cognitive resources (working memory, attentional control, executive processes); this is effectively an extra “tax” on the brain.

How to spot when you’re at risk of poor mental health?

The keen-eyed among you will have spotted we have only highlighted areas of thinking (or cognition) and how that affects mental health. But depression, sadness or burnout are more of an emotional experience.

Understanding the connection between your thoughts, behaviours and emotions is key to spotting when you need a break, or some support.

Persistently feeling “flat”, down, sad or irritable:
- Little or no interest in doing work or engaging in other activities.
- Snapping or reacting strongly to things that seem minor to other people.

Feeling “detached” from your normal self:
- If you feel like a different person, or your normal personality feels absent or forced.

“Wired but tired”:
- You’re exhausted, but you can’t switch off. You keep checking notifications or emails “just in case”.
- You can’t stop thinking about work, even when you want to detach from it.
- You can’t relax or sleep properly.

Losing feelings of excitement or achievement in your work:
- Everything feels like “just another task”.
- Physical symptoms such as tension, headaches, jaw clenching, increased heart rate, eyestrain, etc.

You are relying on coping strategies:
- Food: Sugar, caffeine, binge eating, takeaways, “treat” foods.
- Alcohol, drugs, smoking.
- Technology: Smartphone use, “doomscrolling”, binge-watching TV.

It can be hard to spot these signs, especially when you’ve experienced them for a long time or if they happen gradually. However, other people often spot it before you do. If a friend, family member or colleague persistently asks you, “Are you OK?”, that can be a sign that something is up.

What to do if you recognise you’re experiencing poor mental health.

Identifying that your mental health is in poor shape or is declining can be both worrying and liberating. Admitting that you need some support or help is the first step to feeling more like yourself.

If you feel as though you simply want to make some changes, instead of seeking more formal support from work. Here are some tips and activities that can boost mental health.

1. Unplug and prioritise:

Establish a daily cut-off time: A 6PM cut-off time for work-related tasks gives your mind enough time to wind down before sleep.
Use “focus time” or “do not disturb” features on smart devices to block work apps during evenings and weekends. (Links for iOS and Android here).
Inform your team of your boundaries: Let them know how to contact you in a “work emergency” and ignore any other requests outside of this.
Batch work together: To avoid task-switching, set times in your day for specific tasks and try to avoid those tasks outside of those timeframes.
Priority matrix: A priority matrix (or Eisenhower matrix) is a tool that allows you to categorise tasks into importance and urgency, so you can focus your efforts accordingly.

2. Recharge your batteries:

Take “micro-breaks”: If you are the type to work through your lunch and/or long hours, taking micro-breaks gives your mind time to unwind. Use a Pomodoro timer, which can remind you to take regular breaks, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
Go outside: Outdoor light exposure can be up to 200 times brighter than indoor, artificial light. Full-spectrum daylight helps regulate your body clock, improve mood, reduce stress hormones, and support better sleep.
Move: Exercise is the body’s built-in mechanism for boosting wellbeing. Exercise reduces stress hormones, helps regulate sleep, improves self-esteem and provides a sense of achievement.
Be happy: It’s a big thing to get into a bullet point and paragraph, but The Happiness Project has identified 10 things that research shows make us happy. Take a look and see if you can learn how to become happier!

3. Speak to your employer:

If you feel as though work is the main cause of your mental health issues and you don’t feel able to improve things by yourself, then speaking directly to your employer is the next step.

There is still some stigma associated with getting mental health support, and speaking about it at work can feel daunting. So here are some helpful tips to help you speak up:

Remember, it is your legal right to get mental health support from a UK employer.
Your job cannot be put at risk for needing mental health support.
You do not have to reveal any personal or emotional details to an employer.
If you feel worried, try speaking to a close colleague to begin with.
You can write down how you’ve been affected in an email if you are concerned about speaking directly about it.
Good employers knows that you are much more productive and effective when you are in good mental shape: Supporting you is in the interest of the organisation.
Many employers have EAPs (Employee Assistance Programmes) specifically designed to help with work-related stress.

4. Reach out for professional help:

If you would rather not share your mental health issues with your employer, there are a range of options available to you in terms of professional help.

Contact your GP: The first line of support for mental health issues. Your GP will know about local services (which, unfortunately, can be a postcode lottery).
Self-refer: If you feel anxious about speaking with your GP, the NHS offers “self-referral”. Search for “NHS Talking Therapies” in a search engine to find your local service.
Private therapy: The NHS can have long waiting times and will only offer limited sessions for most mental health issues. Consider private talking therapy if you are able to afford it.

How Trustco work to support mental health at work:

Not all organisations are set up to support mental health, and every organisation can improve. At Trustco, we are always listening and trying new ways to support our colleagues with their mental health.

We are not one of those companies that call our employees “family”, because they are not. They are, however, truly invaluable individuals who keep us moving forward and keep the Trustco wheels turning. This is how we show that we value our employee’s wellbeing:

Our employee assistance programme, “Spill”: where employees can access mental health support in the form of counselling sessions and neurodivergence support.
We have an official “Trustco Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy” to keep us on track.
Trained Mental Health First Aiders in our Trustco HQ.
Regular employee wellbeing check-ins, led by the Mental Health First Aiders.
Our employee volunteering programme encourages people to swap a day in the office for some external volunteering.
Regular team outings for decompression.

Combined, this contributes to fostering a culture of openness around mental health, which in turn improves access to support and resources.

We hope that this article has been comforting and informative. Remember to take excellent care of your mental health and reach out for help when you need it.