Stress is a part of our fight-or-flight response. In ideal circumstances, we experience it for a short time, deal with the cause, and recover without a problem.
It can even be a good thing from time to time… The stress of a deadline or impressing a big client can energize you, kick-starting your creativity and focusing your efforts on one goal.
We bounce back quickly once the crisis passes, but what happens when we’re under chronic stress?
Long-term strain wears down the body and mind. It impacts our professional and personal lives, harms our health, and can even contribute to life-threatening conditions such as a heart attack.
All of this adds up to a life that has been leached of joy.
The modern world is facing an epidemic of stress and healing that is no easy task when a leading cause is your career itself.
Reasons Why Your Job Causes Stress
It’s no secret that you feel stressed from your job. But do you know why you feel that stress? Have you identified triggers that spiral you out of control?
Here are a few things I’ve come across…
1. Too Much Tasks & Responsibility
Instead of demanding promotions, people tend to just grin and bear the pain of too much responsibility. Sometimes you may even consider getting more than one job, spending most of your waking hours working.
This choice solves their monetary problems, but that financial relief comes at the cost of their health and mental well-being.
2. Not Enough Work to Make Ends Meet
And then there are people that wish they had the problem of working too hard.
These are typically freelancers and small business owners who struggle to drum up business consistently. They may be launching their new company and desperately trying to build a client base, or they’re freelancers who struggle with a slump this month when last month they had so many requests that they were turning work away. T
his group feels tremendous stress as they watch their savings disappear.
3. A Lack of Recognition and Appreciation
Even people with a decent balance between their expenses and income, their workload and compensation, may experience stress.
This typically happens for those who are unfulfilled by the work they do.
They put in the hours and receive their paycheck, but they aren’t respected by their colleagues or boss. Their career is unsatisfying on some profound level, and that distress affects them deeply.
Recognize the Warning Signs of Job Stress
Stress can present differently from person to person. But – generally speaking – there are a few signs that you should watch out for. If you see yourself in this list, it’s time to take action to manage the stress in your life.
- Disturbed sleep
- Digestive issues
- Aggravated conditions such as diabetes
- Muscle pains
- Vanishing libido
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Excessive drinking or smoking
- High Blood Pressure
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessing over finances, work, or the future
- Inability to be fully present in life here-and-now
- Apathy, especially toward work
- Lashing out at loved ones
- No energy to socialize
- Neglecting family and friends
Reduce Job Stress By Taking Care of Yourself
You may not be able to control the causes of stress that you’re experiencing, but you have the power to reduce the impact it has on your life.
1. Make Time for Daily Exercise
Exercise releases feel-good endorphins, balances your emotions, loosens up tense muscles, and lowers blood pressure to healthy levels.
If your budget can’t stretch to cover a gym membership, there are many free workout programs on TV and the internet that help you fight stress from your living room.
2. Get Enough Sleep Every Night
Uninterrupted sleep allows your brain to create important neurotransmitters and clear itself of the toxins that have built up. Meanwhile, your body replenishes your reserves, giving you a thicker ‘buffer zone’ against tomorrow’s challenges.
3. Let Go of Harmful Addictions
It’s practically a cliché that people drink or smoke while under stress. Unfortunately, these vices keep your blood pressure buzzing and your heart rate up. They also interfere with healthy sleep cycles. Addictions create more problems than they solve.
4. Talk to a Professional Counselor
A counselor can give you a friendly ear and practical exercises to manage your stress. You may be guided through relaxation and breathing techniques, and instructed in how to ‘shut off’ distressing and unproductive lines of thinking.
5. Invest in a Healing Practice
‘Healing Practices’ is an umbrella term for a number of alternative therapies that complement other treatments you may be receiving. They offer short- and long-term relief to people suffering under the weight of stress.
And it’s what we do best here at Relief from Pain.
Do You Have Too Much Stress from Work?
Ignore your chronic stress for too long and you may find yourself dealing with unpleasant or even life-threatening physical and mental suffering.
There is no quick cure for the stress you’re facing.
However, as many people have discovered, Relief From Pain offers an important part of the solution. Contact us for a consultation. We’ll put you on the path to feeling better.
Leave a Reply