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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — As of Monday, May 2, the Louisiana Department of Health is reporting that at least 1,238,557 individuals in the state have contracted COVID-19.

Each sufferer experienced a unique battle, and many have recovered. But health officials are noting that even people who did not contract the illness have been severely impacted by the effects of the pandemic.

In recent years, a number of hard-working individuals are realizing that they simply can’t handle the anxiety associated with their jobs. 

According to a survey conducted by a Texas-based career guidance facility called JobSage, this has led many employees to make the tough decision to resign for the sake of their emotional well-being. 

In light of the fact that May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, JobSage is shining a light on a mental health crisis that some health officials are referring to as a “pandemic within the pandemic.”

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many people have become overwhelmed by loneliness due to extreme isolation, grief over the loss of loved ones, and anxiety due to COVID-related fears. 

This is illustrated by JobSage’s survey of over 2,000 working Americans.

The study found that more than one in four employees have quit a job for the sake of their mental health and another 20% have considered doing so. 

Of those who have mental health benefits, 86% of employees said they used services offered. 

In addition to this, 77% of survey respondents revealed that they’d taken a mental health day off from work, but 66% also reported struggling with feelings of guilt after doing so.

Some of the most common reasons for work-related stress included a feeling of being overworked, a lack of work-life balance, and inadequate compensation. 

Those polled said they wanted their employers to provide improved work-life balance, more time off, and greater schedule flexibility. 

While a number of companies are attempting to provide employees with solutions, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), there are several steps a worker can take on their own to help improve their pandemic-related anxiety. 

The CDC suggests: 

  • Keeping a regular sleep schedule
  • Taking breaks from work to stretch, exercise, or check in with your supportive colleagues, coworkers, family, and friends.
  • Spending time outdoors, either being physically active or relaxing.
  • When working from home, set a regular time to end your work for the day, if possible.
  • Practice mindfulness techniques
  • During non-work hours, be sure to participate in activities that you enjoy. 

Click here for more suggestions from the CDC on how to deal with pandemic-related anxiety.