Is your job toxic and you feel like it’s killing you? You’re not alone. Find health saving solutions and life balance tips in this article.
Have you ever thought about what affects your life, and health in particular, at work? Usually, people spend more than designated 40 hours per week in their offices. This means that the comfort of our lives greatly depends on how we feel at work.
Our body knows first what is wrong. Take a look at these symptoms and check if you can relate to any of them:
- You have trouble sleeping.We all have stress at work – this is inevitable. But the way we cope with it is different. One or two sleepless nights because of tight deadlines is quite common, but if your insomnia becomes permanent and it’s only related to work issues – the stress has overtaken you.
- Constant headaches.If there’s any chance that you treat your workplace negatively, your body will respond with a protective mechanism. It will tense up the muscles, especially in the head, neck, and shoulder zone. If the tension is constant, you’ll get headaches or even migraines as a permanent “present.”
- General muscles ache.As in the previous point, when our body gets the signal from the brain that we are in danger when we anticipate some unpleasant situations and struggles at work, the whole body becomes alert, and we can’t relax. As a result, we feel general weakness and discomfort.
- Mental health issues.If you are prone to any mental disorders like anxiety or apathy you name it, the toxic and stressful job can only stimulate the existing symptoms and lead to real medical problems.
- The immune system lets you down.Because of the constant stress that you might experience for various reasons, you are more likely to catch colds really often.
- Lack of sexual desire.This happens simply for the reason of not having a clear separation between work and home. Many people take work home or just keep thinking about working issues at dinner. Surely, this will never bring anyone into a playful and romantic mood.
- There is never enough rest.You are tired because you work long hours and you work long hours because you are tired. This vicious cycle brings you in a condition of complete fatigue, which is hard to cure.
- Stomach and appetite go nuts.Bloating, sudden pain, indigestion, overeating, lack of appetite. All that can chase you because of acute stress.
The number of symptoms is terrifying, and we didn’t even mention issues like back pain or gaining weight, etc. This may seem now like a desperate situation with no way out, but it’s not true. You can help yourself in different ways, and here is how. Just a small disclaimer, it’s not going to be an easy-peasy case. This is more difficult than choosing a topic of the coursework, deciding what to wear to a party, what to have for dinner when on a diet or finding a coolessay review on the web.
So, if you are ready for some tough thinking, keep reading. What can we all do to stay healthy at work?
Working Non-stop Is Unreasonable
We all know how important breaks are but rarely take them. Both our mind and body need this break to restore energy and offset stress symptoms. Try meditation or exercise regularly, or both. Do everything that makes you feel genuinely good.
Change the Attitude
This is hard indeed, but switching from negative to positive thinking can be a game-changer, especially for those who have to stay at that toxic workplace for some reasons. Behavioral therapy claims that the way we think changes the way we feel. Staying mindful, being aware of your emotions, practicing gratefulness will contribute enormously to your mental health.
Connect With Nature
This is going to help you kill two birds with one stone. Spending time in the park, for instance, provides you with physical activity, practicing mindfulness, having a you-time or quality time with family/loved ones.
Set the Limits
As we already agreed, no one can work without breaks (short or long ones equally). To reset the mind and body and maintain the work-life balance,you need to understand clearly what you agree or disagree to at work/home. You surely can be a workaholic who checks the mail and answers phone calls 24/7 and manages to be involved into family commitments, but is that worth it? Everyone must know their limits, and you’ve got all the rights not to work late hours, leave the unread messages over the weekend and ask for help when needed. Protect yourself from burning out because nobody else can do this.
Let It All Go
Unfortunately, sometimes all the mentioned tricks (and many more you can find online and in books or hear from the therapist) are useless. They will never work if the game is not worth playing. If it’s too late, you will not even have the tiniest desire to try and fix the problem. See yourself in this? It only means you need to leave the job – just dealing with the symptoms won’t bring a real result. Before leaving think about the true reason. Do you want to leave because of terrible colleagues, financial insecurity, or maybe your boss is a tyrant? You need to know the stuff to be able to exclude this from your new job. Otherwise, all the attempts will be made for vain.
Andrew Wilkinson expressed a valuable thought:“You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful.It’s natural to look back and mythologize the long nights and manic moments of genius, but success isn’t about working hard, it’s about working smart.”
We couldn’t agree more and hope you’ll keep all the advice in mind when having hard times and make the most of it. Stay both healthy and happy at work!
