{"id":70041,"date":"2022-05-25T12:52:53","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T10:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=70041"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:20:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:20:26","slug":"5-mental-health-tips-for-accountants-who-just-cant-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/5-mental-health-tips-for-accountants-who-just-cant-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"5 mental health tips for accountants who just can\u2019t stop"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 mental health tips for accountants who just can\u2019t stop\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2022-05-25T12:52:53+02:00\">May 25, 2022<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"5 mental health tips for accountants who just can\u2019t stop\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/5-mental-health-tips-for-accountants-who-just-cant-stop\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/candice\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2022-05-23-at-3.04.17-PM-350x350.jpeg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Portrait of a smiling young woman\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Candice<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Mental health is an important topic any time of year \u2013 especially considering the strain and isolation so many of us have felt as a result of the pandemic. Conveniently, though, May is Mental Health Awareness Month in several countries around the globe, so we figured it\u2019s apt timing for a chat about something that\u2019s too often treated like the elephant in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mental health in the accounting industry is both a very serious concern (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountancyage.com\/2020\/03\/31\/98-of-accountants-stressed-even-before-the-coronavirus-outbreak\/\">with 98% of accountants stressed \u2013 even before the coronavirus outbreak<\/a>) and possibly one of the industries with the most resistance to receiving support for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, when discussing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caba.org.uk\/\">caba<\/a> survey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.financialaccountant.co.uk\/features\/more-than-half-of-accountants-suffer-with-stress\">mental health expert Kirsty Lilley<\/a> explained that \u201cVast numbers of accountants aren\u2019t using the mental health support that\u2019s currently on offer. Some are even worried about how their employers would respond to hearing that they\u2019re struggling.\u201d This suggests a misalignment between the support services that are on offer, and the culture that you experience on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The kind of pressure has ripple effects too. Your family and friends feel it, creating long-term rupture to important relationships. Your body takes a beating with high doses of stress, limited sleep, and surviving on take-aways (especially during tax season). All this puts you at risk for burnout and illness, and frankly, they limit your ability to do your job well too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But short of quitting, selling everything, and starting a new life in Bali, what else can you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 5 tips you can use to create more headspace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-nbsp-nbsp-admit-that-you-have-a-problem\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp; Admit that you have a problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This may not be an AA meeting, but in some instances, it may as well be. After years of living with stress and anxiety, it can be difficult to tell when the stress you\u2019re dealing with is abnormal. After all, for many of us, a bit of pressure is exciting, but it\u2019s important to know where the line is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mind.org.uk\/information-support\/types-of-mental-health-problems\/stress\/signs-and-symptoms-of-stress\/\">symptom checkers<\/a> that can guide you, explaining what too much stress can feel like, how it can present itself in your body, and how it can make you behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you know what you\u2019re dealing with, it\u2019s a lot easier to find solutions that work for you, whether it\u2019s changing your lifestyle, chatting to a professional, medication, or even alternative therapies, like acupuncture or hypnotherapy. Whatever you do, don\u2019t ignore it \u2013 the sooner you address it, the easier it\u2019ll be to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-nbsp-nbsp-find-and-hold-your-boundaries\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp; Find and hold your boundaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Often, you can feel stressed because you just don\u2019t know where your boundaries are. You don\u2019t know when to say no, you struggle to know when it\u2019s okay to stop working, and you feel guilty about taking time for yourself. This often bleeds into many areas of your working life, like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Working way more than the standard 40 hours a week,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taking on more clients when you\u2019re already at capacity,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Doing everything yourself rather than delegating, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not saying no when you already feel like you\u2019re drowning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To address this, sometimes it helps to set rules for yourself \u2013 like never working beyond an additional hour or two per day or limiting your working hours over the weekend (or not working at all). You can also free some of your time by automating repetitive tasks with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/\">cloud accounting software.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also helps to delegate. We know how seriously you take your work, so we realise it can be hard to delegate to less-experienced professionals \u2013 especially since it takes time to train them up and there may be teething issues on the way. While it may feel like an uphill climb in the beginning, the relief you\u2019ll feel in the long run is worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, you may not know this, but you don\u2019t have to take on every client that wants your services. Be discerning about what you have capacity for and the kind of clients that you don\u2019t mind squeezing in. When someone with a box full of receipts walks in when you\u2019re already working 10-hour days, refer them to someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-nbsp-nbsp-plan-out-your-working-hours\">3.&nbsp;&nbsp; Plan out your working hours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You know what helps to reduce stress? Not \u2018carrying\u2019 all your tasks in your head all the time. One of the best ways to do this is to write them down, either in a traditional to-do list or using clever digital versions, like <a href=\"https:\/\/monday.com\/\">Monday.com<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/asana.com\/\">Asana<\/a>. When everything is written down, you\u2019ll have headspace to think without fear of forgetting something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to give yourself even more peace of mind, plan your week in advance every Friday. Allocate time for regular tasks, like checking emails, taking phone calls, and having meetings. Then allocate hours to all the tasks you know will need to be addressed during the week. You can even schedule a \u2018no-meeting day\u2019 once a week to give yourself at least one day of uninterrupted focus time. Encourage others in your practice to do this too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-nbsp-nbsp-make-time-for-your-health\">4.&nbsp;&nbsp; Make time for your health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This one isn\u2019t rocket science. You know that eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly is important to keeping yourself strong mentally and physically. But when you sit at a desk all day doing the work that you do, moving your body and cooking a healthy meal isn\u2019t always appealing. After all, you need to rest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get it. It\u2019s a juggle trying to be super-you. And sometimes you just can\u2019t juggle all those balls at once. Something\u2019s got to give. But think about it this way: does it always have to be you, your peace of mind, your family, and your wellbeing that gives? The answer is no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And anyway, you\u2019re a far more productive and pleasant accountant when you\u2019re not drowning. So, looking after your health is a win for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-nbsp-nbsp-make-space-for-you-in-your-life\">5.&nbsp;&nbsp; Make space for you in your life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So much of your life is spent working and getting things done. How much of your life is actually <em>yours<\/em>? You need to give yourself more room for <em>you<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by committing to at least five minutes a day doing something that feels good just for you. It can be anything. Sometimes you\u2019ll be surprised by what feels best. The things you resist the most (like regular exercise, writing in a journal, dancing, or art) can often leave you feeling better than you have in years. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-your-wellbeing-is-your-responsibility\">Your wellbeing is your responsibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/how-accountants-can-better-take-care-of-their-mental-health-and-wellness\/\">mental health<\/a> is a concern for you, do something about it. At the end of the day, you\u2019re the only one who can. Things like this seldomly resolve themselves on their own and nor would you want them to \u2013 especially when a far more enjoyable (and productive) way of living is possible instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">10 tips to transform your productivity<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Discover how smart technology can reduce the time spent chasing late payments, inputting receipts and compiling reports, so you can spend it on improving your business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-78d85197-99ca-417e-a360-c1e732505b44\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/04\/NewsCafe_FY19_Payroll_25BannerBuilder-1200px-x-640px-72ppi.png\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/04\/NewsCafe_FY19_Payroll_25BannerBuilder-1200px-x-640px-72ppi.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental health is an important topic any time of year \u2013 especially considering the strain and isolation so many of us have felt as a result of the pandemic. Conveniently, though, May is Mental Health Awareness Month in several countries around the globe, so we figured it\u2019s apt timing for a chat about something that\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1394,"featured_media":69769,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,26],"tags":[313,186],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[6,15],"imagine_tag":[51],"coauthors":[454],"class_list":["post-70041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-picks","category-people-leadership","tag-bookkeeping","tag-entrepreneurship","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Candice","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1004712242.jpg","imagine_tags":{"51":"Accountants"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1394"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/69769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=70041"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=70041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}