Mental well-being is a topic we don’t discuss enough in the world of projects and project management.

Experts say that the prevalence of mental illness has reached an all-time high in the United States, even prompting the White House to develop a strategy to address the issue. Depression has become increasingly common since the pandemic’s beginning, affecting one out of every three Americans. Many people left their jobs because they had burnt out and became overwhelmed, prompting the Great Resignation.

In this new world driven by change, Project leaders and sponsors must take a proactive approach to mental health issues within their projects.

I believe that one of the primary triggers of the Great Resignation is the rise of the Project Economy. It is not the operational work that generates stress and leads to burnout; it is the exponential growth of projects and project work. Working on a highly demanding project can be super stressful, and if performance is prioritized versus people aspects, it can hurt people’s well-being. Working on many different projects simultaneously is even more dangerous, which has happened in many organizations. Employees have been asked to contribute to more and more projects while not removing them from other duties.

Project work is synonymous with constant change and pressure to deliver. This can be traced back to the client-driven nature of projects. If clients aren’t happy with the work, they can request changes. If these changes aren’t actioned promptly, the project could fail, and the client could walk away—this pressure to deliver means that time constraints are paramount. As a result, project teams often have their work broken down into smaller chunks, making it challenging to deliver complete and coherent outcomes. The smaller chunks of work also mean that tasks are likely to be more intense and time-consuming than if the same work was done on a longer-term basis. As you work towards your deliverables, you may find that you’re constantly multi-tasking and rushing around, trying to get things done. This can place considerable stress on your mental well-being, particularly if you’re over-committing or working with an aggressive shift pattern.

On many projects, you will likely have very little control over what you do, when, and with whom you do it. This lack of control can make managing your energy levels and work-life balance difficult. For example, you may be required to work a shift pattern that doesn’t suit your personal life, or you may be expected to work with people who don’t align with your working style. To mitigate the negative impact of a lack of control, you must have a few simple self-management strategies up your sleeve. For example, you could use a productivity app to track how much time you spend on each task and create virtual boundaries between your work and non-work activities.