A note on productivity

A lot of our sense of self comes from what we do. Our jobs, our skills, our hobbies – they all make up a big part of who we are. That is why mental illness’s interference with productivity can be so devastating. 

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It’s tough to keep up with everything in our lives and mental illness makes it that much harder. It’s difficult to be a good employee when you can’t even get out of bed. When leaving the house is terrifying, you are restricted to what you can do at home. This toll on productivity can really affect self-confidence, which in turn can further damage mental health. This is why it’s important to reassess how much productivity is worth.

I’m currently in school. I started the semester with what I thought was a manageable class load – and I did keep up. I was doing well in all my classes, but it was very stressful. It started making my symptoms worse. I decided to withdraw from half of my courses. It was a difficult decision and it made me feel incompetent. Instead of letting my limitations get to me, I try to focus on the fact that I saw what I needed
                                                                                                                and chose to take care of myself. My health (both
                                                                                                                mental and physical) is more important than how soon
                                                                                                                I graduate.

It’s hard not to place your worth on how well you do. But self-care and managing your needs is so important. Without it, your productivity is going to suffer further in the long run. Check in with yourself every day and see how you are doing. Assess what your stressors are and how you can reduce them. Know when something becomes too much to handle and back off. Your needs are worth more than your output. When it comes down to it, a lot of the things we think we need to do are actually things we prefer to have done. 

You are more than what you do. You are your beliefs and your aspirations. You are the way you treat the ones you love. You are someone who keeps trying, and that in and of itself is admirable.