PART 2 When Work Hurts: Coping with Work-Related Depression, with Paul Bayliss

Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

In part II, of this episode, I continue my discussion with Paul Bayliss, who experienced job-related depression when undertaking a massive transformation project for a large public sector organisation. A combination of the demands and high-pressure nature of the role with a toxic working environment and culture proved to be unsustainable. Finally, Paul was diagnosed with depression and signed off work but that was the beginning of another battle to acknowledge the condition and deal with his perceptions of failure and the impact on his career. Paul explains the importance of separating work and personal identity and emphasises the need to develop your own interests outside of work, whether it be going to the gym. hiking or charity work. When work becomes your only point of validation and identification as a person, when work isn’t there or something changes, everything comes tumbling down.

He shares his recovery process and how it involved therapy and lifestyle changes. He stresses the importance of being aware of the impact of external or environmental factors on your well-being and how maintaining a sense of self-awareness and being mindful is important to achieving a good work-life balance and is also crucial for mental and physical health and personal growth.