A clear career path is one less thing to worry about. You read it right, career development is where half of your mental health depends on. Wrong career choice can cause work stress that lasts as long as you are brave enough to quit the job and take a different road. This month of November we will be raising awareness about career development, the obstacles that come with it and how to overcome them. Most of us lack proper growth plan, it is either due to family/society pressure as a student or pressure of earning bread for your family as an adult. But,

“Nothing changes, if nothing changes.”

Even if you are an adult and have a family to provide to, you can still switch career and have that dream job. To begin with, let’s learn what is career development and its significance.

Career Development:

Career development is the process of exploring your interests in order to step in professional life. In this process you determine your goals and plan your way towards achieving them. Career development doesn’t have to start once you have a degree in your hand or when you lie in the eligibility criteria. The seed is sowed in the early childhood, you develop interests by seeing your parents or elders making their way through professional life. It is recommended that you start planning in the first year of college to avoid any confusions and waste time later. With that being said, career development doesn’t stop once you have an occupation. You can change your career even if you are a single parent or only earner of the house. Pursue the education requirement and training for the job you wish to do, apply for job vacancies and grow in your career.

Ways of Career Development:

Here are few steps you can adapt to be successful in your career in the long run:

• Being self-aware is important. Knowing about your areas of interests and discovering your strengths can be a game changer. Find a career path that corresponds with your abilities and skills.
• Set your goals and plan accordingly. Take small steps that will bring you closer to achieving a bigger goal. Sketch down a career strategy and work through it. In this time, you can participate in exploring various career choices and opt for what suits you best.
• Once you make up your mind of choosing a certain career path, now is the time to put an effort to acquire that goal. Develop skills required for career success on your own or through any professional training. Attend webinars or take any internship opportunity related to your chosen career.

Importance of Career Development:

Career development is a constant growth plan that not only allows you to learn but it helps you to stand out and compete in the job market. The procedure is same for both students who are just starting with their careers or individuals already working.  As a student it begins in the initial stages of college where you choose your major and then later pursue internships related to your field in reputable organizations. As an individual already a part of workforce, it is a bit risky but outcomes turn out to be in your favor if you completely dedicate yourself to achieve your goal. Career development takes time and effort but there is a significant amount of growth and learning during this journey. It helps you avoid the stagnancy and pushes you forward to earn a better and healthy life.

Incompetent career preferences can be a cause of backlash in one’s personality which results in compromising work quality. Trying to fit in a self-created unfit environment can drain your mental and physical health. Keep in mind, it is never too late to change your career perspective if it is causing you to face stressful conditions. This month our goal is to raise awareness about stress by making radical choices at different points in life. The purpose to celebrate this day is to educate people about stress, its symptoms and causes, and how to fight it.

What is Stress?

Stress is human body response to threatening or agitating situations. The flooding hormones cause body to react emotionally, physically or intellectually to the situation. Also referred as fight or flight response. Stress can have both positive and negative effects on human body. The positive effects can look like staying motivated and ready to work through difficult situation whereas negative effects can be life-threatening if it gets out of control. Stress affects your body and mental health both. Recognizing symptoms at early stage can be helpful in stress management. If left untreated it can contribute to other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure etc. 

Symptoms and causes:

There is no certain cause for stress. Reaction to stressful situations vary person to person. One stressful situation may not be stressful for other. The most common causes of stress could be work, family issues, financial instability, relationships, moving to a new place etc. The symptoms of stress could be sweating, pain in the back or chest, cramps or muscle spasms, fainting, headaches etc. Emotional reactions may include anger, nail biting, restlessness, sadness etc. Chronic stress can lead to anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses.

Treatment:

For treatment you must try to cater the root cause of stress and then try to resolve it. Get therapy if this doesn’t work, it helps to relax mind and body as well. If the situation is beyond your control then you need to see a doctor and get proper medication.

Management:

There is not a single person who is not affected by at least once if not multiple times with stress. Overcoming stress can seem hardest but it can simply be done by making simple changes in life. Exercise can release stress to greater extent, try making it a part of your daily routine. Reduce intake of alcohol or drugs of any kind. Prioritize things, manage your daily tasks according to the given time constraint. Take out time for yourself to relax, it could be any activity you enjoy doing. Acknowledge the signs of stress and reach out to someone you trust or can rely on to discuss how you feel.