How are you feeling today?!

The American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll in 2024 showed that nearly half (48 percent) of US adults felt more anxious than they did the prior year. This number was up from 37 percent in 2023.

A variety of studies by human resource and employee workforce companies found that just in the last two years, 86 percent of employees reported at least one mental-health challenge and 65 percent of employees reported burnout.

Informal polls, and peer reviewed studies alike point towards a concerning trend of increased anxiety, increased burnout, and increased incidents of mental and emotional incidents.

Even if you consider yourself tough, and answer with ‘this is capitalism, so suck it up’,..you cannot look at this data and rationalize such increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression from…working.

And even if you do rationalize it….., then you couldn’t possibly argue with the concept that these outcomes are not helpful for company productivity. So let’s just agree – something needs to shift, and I would offer that it may be the responsibility of both the employer and the employee to find those adjustments.

Employers have increasingly been looking towards corporate wellness solutions, a multi billion dollar industry that is positioned to double over the next 10 years. And the data shows that these offerings (meditation, yoga, etc..) work for owners….manifesting in less absenteeism in the workplace and higher productivity. Whether you think there is a moral directive here, or just an appropriate business adjustment to hedge against increased need – it appears that corporate wellness is making an impact but will also need to scale quickly to address the rising frequency of employee needs.

But if you are an employee, or even a business owner…and you do work hard (which probably goes without saying)…..you may need to take some responsibility for your self. Perhaps you acknowledge that we are all in a rat race, and perhaps you feel that you need to ‘kill it’ in order to ..not just get ahead, but sometimes just to stay competitive.

Foresight and hindsight allows us, as humans, to look at what might be a reasonable threshold between hardcore, nonstop work and the necessity of taking a moment, putting it in park, to put the phone down, to walk away from the desk, and to spend time with our friends, our families and with our selves.

So when should you put it in park? It seems like this should go without saying, but I think many of us forget…that you probably shouldn’t wait until it’s too late. I think many of us fall into the ‘I feel fine so I can just keep going’ thought process. While logical, it doesn’t show much awareness to work that way. If you wait until you need a break, that break itself may be less helpful – it may need to be longer, and it may not be enough.

A variety of universities both domestic and internationally over the last few years have found that short breaks or even micro breaks can make a meaningful impact in productivity, physical and emotional wellness, eye sight, and overall energy. I’m not saying the key is taking occasional 30 second breaks (though I’m sure some employers would love it if that were the sole answer) but I am saying that even the most brief pauses can and do make a difference.

Every person is different, and everyone’s bandwidth is different. There is not one answer for all, but there is an approach that I think addresses these concerning trends of burnout in the workplace while still allowing for us to be a high producing and innovative species. My advice – if you have a personal day, think about taking it. If your work is mostly caught up, take a walk, or take an afternoon.

Check in with yourself, and if you don’t know how to do that…then maybe you should actually engage with some corporate wellness offerings. Also…meet a friend for lunch. Take a night off from emails. A break doesn’t need to mean a 2 week trip to Fiji, it might just mean finding a moment for your self.

Now get back to work.

David Cone-Gorham owns and operates NYCM Search, a talent acquisition company focused on permanent placement of professionals in the real estate and construction management fields.