Let's face it, not everyone wakes up happy to go to work. For most people it's a drag.
Yet, we live with the realisation that we have to work to pay our bills.
But what happens when your job depresses you? We are not talking about a mere dreaded anticipation for knockoff time, but a serious, debilitating depression that you find yourself in with an array of stress-related illnesses.
Can your job make you sick?
Sowetan spoke to two professionals - medical doctor Andrew Modise from Rustenburg, and career coach Khanya Matlala - to find out how to tell if your job is affecting your health.
Most important, when to pack your things and leave - for the sake of saving your health.
Modise says mild work-related stress is normal, but the following symptoms should give you cause for concern about your health.
Frequent panic attacks
People should not ignore the seriousness of panic attacks. They are a sign of anxiety and stress, and can cause or exacerbate illness in your body. If your job causes you panic attacks, it is not a good sign. Check your numbers.
High blood pressure is a serious condition that should not be taken lightly. Causes vary from heredity to an unhealthy lifestyle.
If you work in an environment in which you find your blood pressure spiking out of control, it might be time to make vital career changes. Weight fluctuations.
People react differently to stress. Some turn to food for comfort . If your weight is dropping or picking up, it might be a sign of an underlying problem. l Migraine
A mild after-work headache is acceptable, but suffering from migraine is not. If you find yourself having more frequent migraines after a day at the office, take note. Migraines are serious.
Matlala says the red flags of knowing if you are in an unhappy environment at work could be: Loss of self-confidence; l Increased stress and anxiety; l Lack of sleep; l Taking your anger out on family and friends; and l Reckless spending habits - this happens to people who try to buy their way to happiness since they don't get it at work.
So how do you know if you are dissatisfied with your job? Matlala says individuals should check the drop between how they felt when they first started working, versus how they currently feel in their position.
"Generally, we could say that everybody starts a new job on a high note.
"That means you're energised, passionate, willing to wake up earlier in the morning and also put in the extra hours when needed to get the job done.
"You give your best most of the time and you feel good about it," she says.
When you're unhappy, you might find that:
- You're not anticipating positive outcomes any more.
- You're not as excited about waking up to go to the office as you used to be. You dread meetings with clients and colleagues and no longer want to work with them.
- You might find yourself feeling more negative and despondent about sharing your ideas. You feel that your ideas don't matter to anyone so you don't bother sharing them.
Matlala adds that one could develop anxiety stemming from uncertainty about one's performance and whether or not they risk losing their job because of a person or situation that is out of control (retrenchment).
"You could also become dissatisfied with your job if you're not seeing any of the growth you hoped would happen . This could be caused by a lack of training opportunities. You feel you're no longer learning anything new and have reached your 'ceiling'. You feel stuck," she says.
Can your job make you sick?
Let's face it, not everyone wakes up happy to go to work. For most people it's a drag.
Yet, we live with the realisation that we have to work to pay our bills.
But what happens when your job depresses you? We are not talking about a mere dreaded anticipation for knockoff time, but a serious, debilitating depression that you find yourself in with an array of stress-related illnesses.
Can your job make you sick?
Sowetan spoke to two professionals - medical doctor Andrew Modise from Rustenburg, and career coach Khanya Matlala - to find out how to tell if your job is affecting your health.
Most important, when to pack your things and leave - for the sake of saving your health.
Modise says mild work-related stress is normal, but the following symptoms should give you cause for concern about your health.
Frequent panic attacks
People should not ignore the seriousness of panic attacks. They are a sign of anxiety and stress, and can cause or exacerbate illness in your body. If your job causes you panic attacks, it is not a good sign. Check your numbers.
High blood pressure is a serious condition that should not be taken lightly. Causes vary from heredity to an unhealthy lifestyle.
If you work in an environment in which you find your blood pressure spiking out of control, it might be time to make vital career changes. Weight fluctuations.
People react differently to stress. Some turn to food for comfort . If your weight is dropping or picking up, it might be a sign of an underlying problem. l Migraine
A mild after-work headache is acceptable, but suffering from migraine is not. If you find yourself having more frequent migraines after a day at the office, take note. Migraines are serious.
Matlala says the red flags of knowing if you are in an unhappy environment at work could be: Loss of self-confidence; l Increased stress and anxiety; l Lack of sleep; l Taking your anger out on family and friends; and l Reckless spending habits - this happens to people who try to buy their way to happiness since they don't get it at work.
So how do you know if you are dissatisfied with your job? Matlala says individuals should check the drop between how they felt when they first started working, versus how they currently feel in their position.
"Generally, we could say that everybody starts a new job on a high note.
"That means you're energised, passionate, willing to wake up earlier in the morning and also put in the extra hours when needed to get the job done.
"You give your best most of the time and you feel good about it," she says.
When you're unhappy, you might find that:
Matlala adds that one could develop anxiety stemming from uncertainty about one's performance and whether or not they risk losing their job because of a person or situation that is out of control (retrenchment).
"You could also become dissatisfied with your job if you're not seeing any of the growth you hoped would happen . This could be caused by a lack of training opportunities. You feel you're no longer learning anything new and have reached your 'ceiling'. You feel stuck," she says.
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