What kind of emotional and counseling support are IT professionals specifically, and the working population in general seeking out at the moment?
The needs of IT employees are similar to those in any industry but it is different in some ways that pressure of deadlines is high, they are also often working in different time zones than their clients which takes a toll on their personal lives and work life balance and fears of layoff in a recession hit industry impacts not only those who are laid off but also those who aren’t and are called survivors…The pressure and stress on survivors too is high. They usually come with sleep problems, alcohol and smoking issues or with anxiety problems and fatigue.
On an average, on any given day, how many professionals does Juno Clinic counsel?
Juno Clinic’s counsellors counsel around 100 clients a day, of which i would say 15-20% are from IT industry, most of which prefer seeking counselling online.
What all is triggering the rise in calls to counsellors by working professionals today? What are the various ways in which Juno Clinic is providing support?
Major Factors are recession, layoffs, pressure that they put on themselves, high ambition and high stress levels in society at large. At Juno Clinic we provide a safe , non judgemental space for clients to engage in therapy.Therapy is a lot of looking within, identifying your strengths and weaknesses and using your own strengths to overcome weaknesses. Feeling anxious and depressed, having trouble sleeping, not being able to enjoy activities that you are used to enjoying are all normal feelings that you may experience after a layoff. If these feeling persist over time it may be useful to be assessed by a doctor and/or mental health professional. Layoffs can put a lot of emotional stress on relationships and it may be useful to consult with a mental health professional about this as well.
What advise would you like to give young professionals on tackling work pressure and job instability?
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-living-under-the-fear-of-axe-2524737
1. Take care of yourself, maintain a nutritious diet and find time to exercise…It should become part of the lifestyle and you must not have to find time for these
2. Stay away from using alcohol or smoking or drugs as a coping mechanism
3. Create a support system outside workplace (friends and family unconnected to your industry) who give you a neutral perspective. Avoid bringing work home as much as possible…
4. Accepting help and support from people who care about you and will listen to you can help a lot. Keeping secrets is very stressful and for most people having support and empathy is very helpful in moving through this emotional time.
5. Do things that you enjoy to unwind , for some writing or art may be therapeutic and for some might enjoy traveling.
6. Stay aware of the messages that you are giving yourself. If you notice you are having self-critical thoughts (e.g., “I will never have a good job again”, “I feel worthless”), it is important to observe this and to tell yourself to stop doing it. These thoughts are unhelpful and make us feel worse.
7. We can not always be in control of what happens to us – in fact, often how we handle what happens to us is the only thing we can control.
8. Remember that nothing ever stays the same, and tell yourself “this too shall pass”
