Experiencing discrimination at work can be one of the most trying things you can go through in life. Workplace discrimination can be dehumanizing and can leave many feeling like they’re trapped in a terrible situation with no clear path forward.
Even worse, experiencing workplace discrimination can have serious lasting effects on your mental health, which can compound even further and leave you feeling like there is no escape and no one to turn to.
It Seriously Affects Your Brain
While work is already stressful enough, for those who are dealing with workplace discrimination, it can become unbearable. Discrimination in the workplace has been shown to result in an increased risk of mental health disorders and a higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse. It doesn’t matter if the discrimination is based on race, sexuality, ethnicity, or anything in between. It can and does lead to stress on your mental health which can be further compounded when self-medicating through alcohol consumption or drug use.
If you experience discrimination at work, you’re at risk of developing depression and significant anxiety. The discrimination triggers and changes your stress response system. In severe cases, this can lead to a higher likelihood of engaging in high-risk activities or even theft and vandalism, with the worst cases leading to suicidal ideation.
Anxiety at work due to discrimination can cause difficulty concentrating on tasks, obsessive thinking, and general fear and nervousness. The damage that discrimination does to your mental health can then translate to damage to your physical health. Untreated anxiety is notoriously hard on your body and can result in panic attacks, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, and heightened blood pressure. Discrimination in the workplace is an incredibly serious issue and goes much further than the hurt feelings or discomfort that those discriminating against you might paint it.
It Can Affect Your Performance And Ability To Advance
The stress brought on from experiencing discrimination at work doesn’t occur within a vacuum and has the potential to cause serious negative effects on your ability to perform your job. Discrimination leads to anxiety, depression, and stress which in turn affects your ability to get a good night’s sleep, work together with your peers, and focus on even the most menial or mundane tasks. This has a compounding effect on your capabilities at work, which can potentially stop you from advancing within your company or getting out of the bad situation you find yourself in.
Good workplaces don’t just offer great benefits and perks. They have a pleasant work culture in which those employed never have to deal with discrimination in the workplace. Eventually, the pressures of working for an organization where you face discrimination might become too much to handle. You’ll feel as though you need to seek employment elsewhere, putting a damper on your career by forcing you to start from the bottom all over again.
While you can always seek support from work friends who can offer insight, it is a good idea to join external professional organizations so you have a network you can rely on should you feel the need to change jobs. Job coaches can also help you sort out the best move forward for you and your career, though ideally, the issue of discrimination should be resolved internally through your employer before you resort to such measures.
There Are Protections In Place
Your mental health is incredibly important, and you should absolutely prioritize it should your work environment become stressful due to discrimination. No job is worth risking your mental health, especially when you are having vitriol directed towards you as the cause of your mental and emotional distress. Fortunately, there are systems in place that are designed to help prevent this type of discrimination from occurring.
If you are experiencing discrimination or a hostile work environment, you should know that there are federal laws in place that exist to protect you. In a perfect world, your employer will address any instances of discrimination before you are forced to consider legal action. If your employer ignores the discrimination or is perpetrating it themselves, however, you should certainly consider looking into your legal options. Before taking action, it is important that you document every instance in which you’ve experienced discrimination, and also keep airtight records of your employer’s response to your concerns.
Unfortunately, while workplace discrimination is illegal, it still spreads throughout companies and businesses across the country. Many who are experiencing discrimination are fearful of retaliation from those discriminating against them or from their company if they come forward with their concerns. However, you should know that you owe it to yourself, your career, and your emotional and mental well-being to stand up to discrimination in your place of work, even if it means getting the law involved.
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