How do you deal with depression on the job?
I know its not often spoke about, but how do you deal with it?
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Drinking, drugs and indulging in as much pussy to drown out my sorrows...
What kind of depression are you talking about? If it's your first job, you're working 80 hours per week, realize you're actually an adult, college is in the past and being a banker/consultant/whatever isn't the awesome "prestigious" job you thought it would be because the reality of it isn't how it's portrayed on tv, I'd refer to the above. Or get a hobby. Or a girlfriend (although that can create more issues). Workout. Hang out with friends when you can.
If you're thinking about offing yourself because you're clinically depressed, seek professional help asap.
Echoing @Dingdong08's question on what kind of depression - can you give a little context? eg is this early career reality shock unhappiness, mid-career trajectory slowdown/stalled progression unhappiness, stuck in an unprofitable team unhappiness, etc?
How you deal with each can be very different, unless it's just chasing temporary oblivion through self-medication*.
(* which is part of a healthy strategy, but shouldn't be the sole remedy)
I laughed at this one .. :).. early career reality shock unhappiness ... as in, you mean I have not quite "made it" and am "set for life" after I got an entry level job after 16 years of educational institutions hosing my parents down for cash??
You decompress.
Watch the big bang theory, works everytime.
Don't be closeminded, grow up and see a therapist.
I'd go with hedonism or therapy/antidepressants, depending on the source and severity of the depression
Also there is a difference between unsatisfied and depressed
https://www.youtube.com/embed/DE3OYSVpycY
Get involved with other things, such as nonprofits, etc. on the side to help balance and meet new people (not just concentrated on work and your work environment). Other activities will keep you active and engaged and the energy can spillover to your work.
Do you (or anybody else) have any recommendations for good organizations to get involved with, especially for meeting people? Bonus points for ones that are flexible given the hours we usually work in banking? I've been looking for a while but have yet to find any good ones.
Depending on where you live meetup.com is a good option. You can find pick up sports, local underground card games, social activities, etc. You should definitely exercise as the endorphin release has been shown in studies to be as effective as anti-depressants for some clinically depressed patients.
I'd be curious to for these organizations.. but maybe that should be for another article/discussion on here.
I think some good organizations would be similar to a local "chamber of commerce". For instance, many ethnic and local groups would have their own chamber of commerce (i.e. Philippine American Chamber of Commerce) where times are flexible and you can choose your involvement while still meeting relevant people. NGOs are also good and are pretty flexible, particularly the ones that do occasional donations and outreach (you can also choose your involvement)--you can meet a variety of people from different backgrounds so it is an interesting opportunity. The specific organization will vary depending on the region and city but I believe these types seem to be a solid fit for a banking schedule.
I have found it helpful to plan vacations or events (it can be something small) a few weeks out when I'm getting slammed at work. It gives me something fun to look forward to and my firm's deal teams have no issue letting me get a night or sometimes even weekend off after an especially grueling stretch. If you are able, I suggest you try to do likewise.
It takes a while to get used to life after college. Working out religiously has been my lifeline. It makes a huge difference in my mood and general well-being.
after reading a couple of your other threads, I've gathered you're a sophomore at a difficult school, so I'm guessing this depression comes with final exams. relax, take a deep breath, and execute. ditto on the serious depression comments, if you are clinically depressed, seek professional help.
General tip - make sure you don't have all your life benchmarks in one basket.
For example, if 90% of your life aspirations/benchmarks of self-worth are (a) getting a job in IB and (b) living bottles and models, then you're putting yourself in a very risky position if you fail to meet those goals. A failure can trigger crippling self-doubt and depression.
It's like financial portfolio concentration. If your self-value is heavily weighted to a few, highly correlated goals, any set back will have a huge effect on your sense of self-worth.
On the other hand, if you have a more diverse set of uncorrelated benchmarks for achievement, then your self-worth is a lot more robust against non-systemic risk.
Where you find your self-value will depend on yourself and, to varying degrees, on those whose opinion you value. For example, if you're someone whose self-worth is highly dependent on how others view you, you'll likely be more motivated to chase benchmarks that impress them.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of defining my benchmarks by what others think in a big way and think it's a road to disappointment. However, some people are built that way. Also, it's unavoidable to some extent.
In my case, my major benchmarks at this point in my life are probably work, growth in my finances, reading a lot of history/philosophy/science in the hopes of one day being a renaissance man and being a better boxer. The last two benchmarks are largely uncorrelated with the first two, other than time constraints of work can reduce the time I have for reading and boxing.
What this means is I can have a shit horrible week at work and feel like I've not advanced the work benchmark, but still feel like I have achieved something and come closer to a goal by spending time sparring on a Saturday morning or reading for a few hours.
Also, while I'm pursuing the last two goals, my mind is on them and I'm generally not dwelling deeply on work and any failure to meet work-related goals.
This is fantastic advice.
Been there, mildly. Work makes a lot of people unhappy, especially if they are putting in 80+ hour weeks.
1.) Save money like crazy. 2.) Quit or find a job that pays less and gives you these things called weekends. 3.) Troll WSO and tell people that there is more to life than just work and success and everyone should drive a rusty honda.
At the end of the day, you can't blame your job for you being unhappy. You need money to live and you probably chose the job that resulted in the least stress for the money it pays you. You probably also chose something that you sort of enjoy doing some of the time.
What you can blame is your need to earn money.
Start thinking about ways you can cut back on your spending and save more. To make work a choice rather than an obligation. And to give yourself more options on how you'll pay your bills.
Start planning for the day that you will have free time and options.
Good luck.
I've been playing golf since I was a little kid, so thats where I release work related stress on the course/range. That being said, if you're just picking up the game I can imagine it being more stressful to some although the feeling of progression (chasing that perfect shot) can bring that needed release to some I'm sure.
This is definitely some valuable advice. Take some time to reflect on what is it that you ultimately want and what you need to accomplish that. Maybe a few years of hell is all you need, I think it's easy to get overwhelmed when we lose sight as to why we are putting ourselves through all of this.
antidepressants and banking (Originally Posted: 03/07/2007)
Given how miserable everyone seems to be within the industry, how common is it for people to be taking antidepressants? Does anyone openly talk about popping their pills before going to work? Would this be looked upon as a sign of "weakness"? I would think that it would be one way to make your two year stint more tolerable....
Hmm, not a bad idea. That shit kills your sex drive (you won't be getting any anyways) and any sense of nostalgia you might have (won't be crying cuz you miss your college days or family). Shit can make you like a zombie and kill your ambition, though.
"you won't be getting any anyways"
Love it.
I don't think you'd want to talk about it. However, I think it's fairly common.
Are you kidding? Let's not exaggerate here, the analyst life sucks. The hours sucks, the BS work at times suck, the lack of a social life sucks, but analysts get used to it. Very few analysts need to take anti-depressants to get over it.
Honestly, I've been doing this for 1.5+ years and a lot of the negativity related to an analysts life is blown out of proportion on this board. Your friends may pregame at 10 and hit the bars at 11, but you meeting them there at 12:30 is not ridiculous. Unlike people mention on this board, you will not be pulling all-nighters every week. You'll pull them once in awhile, maybe even once a week, but I think its important to understand that the analyst life is bad, but no unlivable.
You're a weak loser if you take anti-depressants no matter what the situation.
Re. Wizard post, we remember the really bad week or month we get once in a while. This is what makes it so bad, especially when on a regular basis, immediately before and after the nightmare period you're around your "healthy" limits. Even if the mind stays strong the body takes a big hit, you can't deny that.
Re. antidepressants: if you need them you're in the wrong job, my view's you should always stay clean (alcohol being an exception of course).
I earlier used to take antidepressants.
Mental health medication in banking and other career fields? (Originally Posted: 03/15/2015)
Just out of curiosity, how many people in banking or other fields are on a medication for mental health? Feel free to speak for yourself or anything else you've observed. This includes antidepressants, anxiety medication, ADHD medication, etc.
Nothing illegal and actually prescribed by a doctor. Just wondering because it seems that the actual usage of antidepressants/anxiety medication it is much more common than you may think.
I'm sure it happens but best guess is people try and keep it pretty quiet..I don't expect you'll see people popping pills at work
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