When you wake up in the morning, do you feel dread?
Have you spent the night tossing and turning – unable to switch your mind off?
Are you always glad it’s Friday, yet Sundays fill you with anxiety?
Well you’re not alone, 75% of the working population wish they could have a different job*(stress management org) That’s over 500,000 of us in the UK feeling trapped, so it’s no wonder that the health of the population depends on how stressed we are.
While it’s an employers responsibility to create and maintain a stress free work culture and to make sure everyone is treated fairly and in a safe environment, we often don’t realise that it is us – ourselves, that have to keep good physical shape and get the work-life balance right.
More and more, we are put under extra stress because of the recession and constant bombardment from the media about how much unemployment there is.
So where does that leave us?
What’s stopping us achieving what we want and need?
What constitutes a stress free career?
Why are you doing your job?
Is it something you fell into by chance because you didn’t know what to do? Do you think you couldn’t earn a living from what you would like to do? Do you think you’re not clever enough or lack experience? All these are questions we ask ourselves but the answers we give back are not necessarily true.
A job that involves a favourite activity or passion
Many people give up a high paid stressful job to go on to become gardeners. Some give up safe but boring jobs to become policemen because they feel it’s serving the community. What is it about your current job you actually enjoy?
If you choose work, which is engaging, and enjoyable you thrive, sometimes it can be the actual work or the environment. If the job is mundane and unfulfilling then boredom is likely to set in and this can cause frustration and anxiety.
A healthy career has the right balance of pressure – not too much to spend all your time trying to sort out and not too little so you get bored.
Find the right style.
Many large companies have procedures in place to make sure there is no discrimination and safety. Is adhered to – however some people find this rather anonymous – they do not thrive because the constraints keep them from being creative, yet others may enjoy the security these jobs provide.
Pace of work
Some work is at a very slow pace where you may see results over a very long time span, other jobs may have a fast turnover or lots of deadlines.
Company structure
Some will want to climb up through the ranks of a company, some organisations have plenty of scope and opportunity to do this, others may be very limited. Some people too like being told what to do and others like to be autonomous – which are you?
Earning enough for your needs.
This one is interesting as although you may need to earn a set amount each month to pay for rent/mortgage / utilities / car etc it can be surprising how much more people spend when they are in a stressful job. Often these costs are found in the extras which are purchased as treats or just because you’re too tired to be bothered – the cup of coffee and muffin in the morning, the Panini at lunch, the bars of chocolate in the afternoon, a couple of drinks to wind down with colleagues in the evening and a take away after work because you‘re way too tired to cook.
Not only are these expensive, they are only making you feel good only as a temporary measure. It’s the fat and sugar in all these foods that makes you feel better at the time but once they’ve been digested it’s back to square one and you’ve consumed way over your daily calorie intake.
Getting a balance
You may not notice it happening at first, but if your work is encroaching into your down time, then you’re not getting the balance you need. There are vital positive neurotransmitters in the brain what make us feel good, stress will deplete them and being around a relaxed atmosphere with friends and family will create more. It can also impact on your relationships with your family and friends as they never see you and too much stress will impact on your sleep making it difficult to cope.
A sense of purpose and value
There are many careers which are stressful such as teaching, nursing and policing but if it touches on the type of people we are and the values we hold, if we feel these jobs are allowing us to give something back to the community at large, then we’re much more likely to endure the stress of the job because we have a much more positive reason to do it.
