Three colleagues laughing together at work.

Mental Health at Work: How to Manage Your Career When You’re Struggling

Written by: Jessica White

Mental health can affect concentration, memory, energy, sleep, confidence, communication and attendance. Work can also make mental health harder to manage, particularly when the job involves excessive workload, low control, bullying, discrimination, unclear expectations or inaccessible ways of working.

That means the answer is not simply to become better at “balancing” work and mental health. Sometimes the useful change is personal or clinical. Sometimes it is a workplace adjustment. Sometimes the job itself needs to change.

This guide is for employees trying to work out what to do when mental health is affecting their career. It covers disclosure, workplace adjustments, workload, flexible work, performance conversations and return-to-work planning without assuming that everyone should tell their employer everything about their mental health.

Start with what is becoming difficult at work

Before deciding whether to disclose a condition, ask a more practical question: what part of the job has become difficult, inaccessible or unsustainable?

You might be having trouble concentrating through long meetings, remembering verbal instructions, switching rapidly between tasks, commuting at a particular time, working in a noisy environment, meeting unpredictable deadlines or maintaining the same hours during a period of poor mental health.

Try to describe the work barrier rather than judging yourself for it. “I keep failing at work” gives you very little to act on. “I am losing important information in fast verbal meetings and need decisions documented in writing” points toward a concrete change.

This does not require you to diagnose yourself. If symptoms are new, severe or worsening, a qualified health professional can help assess what is happening and what support may be appropriate.

Mental health at work is not only an individual self-care problem

Sleep, treatment, exercise, social support and time away from work can matter, but mental health at work is also shaped by how work is designed.

The World Health Organization recommends addressing psychosocial risks through changes to working conditions as well as supporting workers with mental health conditions. Its examples of reasonable accommodations include flexible hours, extra time for tasks, modified assignments, time for health appointments and regular supportive meetings with supervisors.

If a work process is creating a barrier, asking only how you can become more resilient can miss the point.

Decide whether disclosure would help you get what you need

There is no universal rule that everyone with a mental health condition should disclose it at work.

Australia’s JobAccess describes talking about mental health at work as a personal choice in most circumstances. Legal duties and exceptions can differ by jurisdiction, particularly where there is a genuine safety issue.

If you do disclose, you may not need to provide your entire medical history. Often the more useful conversation is about the work barrier and the change you are requesting. For example: a later start time, written instructions, fewer interruptions during focused work, a quieter workspace, changes to meetings or time for appointments.

In the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains that qualifying mental health conditions can be protected under the ADA and gives examples of possible accommodations. Rights and processes are different elsewhere, so check the rules that apply where you work.

For a broader discussion of conditions that other people may not be able to see, read our guide to invisible disability.

Ask for an adjustment when the way work is organised creates a barrier

A workplace adjustment changes something about the job or workplace so a disabled employee can participate more effectively. Mental health conditions can sometimes meet legal definitions of disability, depending on their impact and the law in your jurisdiction.

Adjustments are individual. They can include changes to hours, work methods, communication, routines, equipment, workspace or how particular tasks are organised. JobAccess gives examples such as written instructions, task lists, changes to start and finish times and alternative communication methods.

Our employer-facing guide to workplace accommodations for disabled employees explains adjustment processes and practical examples in more detail.

If you are making a request, it helps to connect three things: the barrier you are experiencing, the essential outcome the job still requires, and the change that could make that outcome achievable.

Do not wait until every problem becomes a performance problem

When mental health is affecting work, small operational problems can accumulate quietly: missed messages, delayed tasks, forgotten decisions, avoidance of difficult conversations or a workload that keeps expanding because nobody has agreed what should be deprioritised.

Where possible, make the work visible before the situation becomes a crisis. Ask which tasks are genuinely highest priority. Confirm deadlines in writing. Break large pieces of work into smaller deliverables. If priorities conflict, ask your manager which one should move.

This is not about proving that you can organise your way out of a mental health condition. It is about reducing avoidable ambiguity and making it easier to see whether the workload itself is realistic.

Use flexible work to solve a specific problem

Flexible work can help some people, but “work from home” is not automatically the answer to every mental health difficulty.

A change is more useful when it is tied to a barrier. A later start may help if medication or sleep disruption makes early mornings difficult. Remote work may reduce a difficult commute or sensory load. Shorter meetings may reduce cognitive fatigue. Protected focus time may help when constant interruptions make concentration difficult.

In Australia, some employees with disability have a right to request flexible working arrangements under the Fair Work Act if they meet the eligibility requirements. The Fair Work Ombudsman explains the current rules and request process. Other countries have different rights and procedures.

Write down important agreements

If you agree on changed hours, responsibilities, communication methods or other adjustments, keep a written record. A short follow-up email can prevent confusion later and gives both you and your manager something concrete to review.

The same applies to performance conversations. Keep notes of what was discussed, what support or changes were agreed, what deadlines apply and when you will review the arrangement.

If you think you are being discriminated against because of a mental health condition or disability, contemporaneous records can also be useful if you later need advice from HR, a union, an employment adviser or a legal service.

Know when time away from work may be part of the plan

There are periods when continuing exactly as before is not realistic. Time away from work may be appropriate for treatment, recovery or safety, depending on your circumstances and the advice of your treating professional.

Returning does not always have to mean jumping immediately back to the previous workload. WHO guidance supports return-to-work programs that combine work-directed support with ongoing clinical care. Depending on the workplace, that can include a phased return, modified duties, temporary changes to hours or other adjustments.

If you are considering leave or a return-to-work plan, check the employment, sick-leave and disability rules that apply to you and discuss medical questions with an appropriate health professional.

Mental health can be an invisible disability

A mental health condition does not have to be obvious to colleagues to affect your ability to work. You can look composed in a meeting and still be dealing with severe anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms or another condition that affects concentration, energy or communication.

That matters because appearance is a poor measure of whether someone needs support. It also means you may be deciding whether to disclose something that coworkers would not otherwise know.

Our article on supporting someone with an invisible disability explains why disbelief and assumptions about appearance can create additional barriers.

If the workplace itself is making your mental health worse

Sometimes the problem is not simply how you are managing a demanding period. The workplace may contain risks that need to be addressed: bullying, harassment, discrimination, excessive workloads, unclear roles, very low control, poor support or other harmful conditions.

WHO specifically recommends organisational action to prevent psychosocial risks at work. That distinction matters. An employee should not be expected to use meditation, positive thinking or better time management to compensate indefinitely for a harmful work environment.

If the issue involves discrimination or unsafe work, consider getting jurisdiction-specific advice. In Australia, the Fair Work Ombudsman explains protections against adverse action because of physical or mental disability. Other legal protections may also apply.

For the employer side of this issue, see How to Create an Inclusive Workplace: A Disability-Inclusive Guide.

Do not make a major career decision only from your worst day

There are good reasons to change jobs. A role can be a poor fit. An employer can refuse workable changes, tolerate bullying or make the job unnecessarily inaccessible. Your priorities can change too.

But when possible, separate the question “Do I need relief today?” from “Do I want to leave this career?” They are not always the same question.

Before resigning, you may want to look at whether an adjustment, leave, a different team, reduced hours, a change in responsibilities or another role would address the problem. If you decide that leaving is the right option, our job-search guide for disabled applicants covers disclosure choices and recruitment adjustments.

Build a career that has some room for changing capacity

Mental health is not always predictable. Neither are chronic illness, disability, caring responsibilities or the other things that shape how much capacity someone has at a particular point in life.

A sustainable career does not have to depend on functioning at your maximum every week. Where you have some choice, look for roles and workplaces with clear expectations, usable flexibility, accessible systems and managers who can discuss adjustments without turning them into a personal favour.

You should not have to disclose a diagnosis simply to be treated with basic respect. But when a health condition is affecting your work, understanding the barrier, your options and the support available can give you more useful choices than trying to hide the problem until something breaks.

Sources and further reading

This article provides general information, not medical or legal advice. Mental-health needs, employment rights and adjustment processes vary by person and jurisdiction. If your symptoms are severe, worsening or affecting your safety, seek help from an appropriate health professional or local emergency or crisis service.

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