Is Your Job Making You Sick?

Is Your Job Making You Sick?

Is your job making you sick?  Your work environment plays a large role in your overall health.  Studies have shown that people who work long hours, in stressful conditions, and depressing work environments are more likely to get sick than their counterparts who work in a healthier atmosphere or have developed life skills to deal with stressful environments.  

What is the answer?  Quit your job?  Change careers?  For a lot of us that is not an option in this economy.  There are ways to make yourself healthier at work no matter what your conditions.  

Perspective is everything. I always tell my clients to examine their perspective about their work situation.  Rather than focusing on the things you hate about your job think about things you like.  A few examples could be:

• My desk is by the window, I can look outside when I need a mental break.
• I enjoy working with Susie, we are a good team.
• I can listen to my Ipod while I work - it allows me to tune out the negative.

 Find two good things about your job and focus on them rather than negative. 

The next thing I tell my clients is to take a work inventory:

• What tasks bother me the most? Why?
• Which co-workers irk me the most? Why?        

Really explore and be curious your work situation.  Don’t judge yourself for how you feel about these situations.  Why don’t you like these tasks or co-workers?  Really dig deep.  When you open yourself up to possibilities, you allow yourself to find solutions rather than dwelling on the problem.  Also, you might there is no solution for some of the problems, and that is okay too.  If you can’t change it, you can let it go.  

Taking the time the time to look at what you don’t like about your job will help you discover what you do like.  For me when I looked at what I didn’t like about my job it lead me to a career I loved.  I had to take a hard look at the things I didn’t like first.  

Stay present.  Remember you choose your thoughts.  You can look at the time and think “It is only 10 o’clock and wish it was 4 o’clock” or you can focus on the task at hand and stay present.  Staying in the moment helps with anxiety. 

Always, always allow yourself a few minutes to daydream.  That momentarily break from the situation allows us the mental break we need to deal with the task at hand.  It’s a mini vacation at work.  Remember children go to school and daydream throughout the day – they come home and say they had a wonderful time.  

Never give your job the power to make you sick.  You are the only person who can take responsibility for your life.  If you are unhappy with your career – you have the power to change!