Stressed out at Work? It's Killing You And You Don't Even Know It

Stress is a common problem and can be caused by many things including work, and it can be a health issue. The stress from your job can cause a wide range of physical problems. Stress can cause sleep problems and make it harder for you to relax. It can also lead to headaches, stomach problems, chest pain, back pain, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Stress can be good for you, but too much stress can cause problems.

Research shows that Canadians feel stressed about work. This makes sense because working is part of most people's lives, so you'd expect there to be some amount of stress around it—but the amount of stress that people feel varies widely depending on where they live and what job they do, among other factors.

You are not alone in feeling stressed out at work. It's a common problem. Stress is the number one cause of work absenteeism, the number one cause of workplace accidents and the number one cause of stress-related health problems in Canada.

It's important to realize that your stress levels are largely determined by what you say to yourself about how much you have left to do before you can relax and enjoy your life again—even as soon as tonight! The way you think about your stress determines whether it will continue or go away:

Stress can be acute or chronic. Acute stress is a response to an event or situation, such as the loss of a job, a breakup, or an accident. Chronic stress is related to long-term health conditions such as depression and anxiety, which may have been caused by acute events in the past (like being bullied in school).

One way we can think about this is with the metaphor of a bucket: acute stressors are like rocks thrown into your bucket; they can cause ripples in your day-to-day life and temporarily affect how you feel physically and emotionally. If you don't deal with them effectively, however—by talking to someone you trust about what happened or finding another way to relax—then they will build up over time until they become too heavy for your bucket (and possibly spill out onto everyone around you). They'll continue building up if the problem isn't addressed right away because every time another rock gets added it increases its weight.

Eventually there will be too much pressure on one side of your bucket so it tips over and water spills everywhere! At that point any new rocks that get added aren't going anywhere except possibly splashing back at whomever threw them down inside their own personal messes.

You're in good company. The average Canadian employee works more than eight hours a day, and many of us clock even longer hours. That's not just a problem for the corporate world; your family life can be stressful as well. If you have kids (or nieces or nephews), then you probably spend many weekends with them at birthday parties, soccer games, and ballet recitals—all activities that can bring their own challenges to an already hectic schedule.

However it happens—work stress, family stress, relationship stress—you need to find ways of dealing with it if you want any hope of living a happy life without having chronic anxiety attacks every morning as soon as your alarm goes off at 6 AM.

Your work can be a source of stress and frustration, but it can also cause physical problems. The stress hormone cortisol suppresses the immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Studies have shown that job strain increases the risk of heart disease by 40% and stroke by almost 50%.

Work-related stress has been linked to psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. When you're overwhelmed with work responsibilities, it's hard for your mind not to wander into negative places; this can trigger feelings of helplessness or hopelessness that lead to depression.

Stress at work can also take a toll on personal relationships. If your partner isn't understanding about why you're so stressed out from work every night when they come home from their job where they only had one meeting that day—and then they complain about how much money they've spent going out without you—it's easy for resentment to build up between the two of you over time (and possibly lead them towards an affair). Workplace stress has even been linked with divorce rates: those who said their jobs were "very" stressful were twice as likely as other workers not only file for divorce but also get divorced within three years than those who didn’t report feeling this way.

While some stress is a sign of passion and energy, too much stress can be incredibly unhealthy. In particular, the fact that work-related stress is now more prevalent than ever before should be cause for alarm. The good news is that there are ways to keep stress at bay—and it begins with maintaining mental health. If you would like to learn more ways to manage your stress, let’s chat.

Click here for more information on Stress Management.