Signs your work is taking a toll on you

You’d think it would be simple to notice when you’re working too hard —  extended hours, agonising wake-ups and fatigue are sure give-aways, right? The thing is, our bodies and minds have a way of adapting to the demands we place on them, at least for a while. You hope your dedication impresses your boss but the truth is, logging too much time in your cubicle may be driving you straight to your doom. As compiled from inc.com, Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines, here are a few signs you can take note of and work towards striking a healthy work-life balance.

Your car feels like prison

Rowdy traffic, petrol prices and organising your day mentally — these are a bunch of things driving you anxious on your morning commute to the office. The more time you spend at work, the less likely you have to be happy with your life overall, finds a new study from the University of Waterloo in Canada. Having plenty of thoughts is great, but living on a mental hamster-wheel isn’t healthy. Most over-worked people over-think and confuse work-obsessing with focus. Get some space to reset, consider your priorities and give your brain a chance to tackle work from a fresh perspective and listen to music while driving to work. A 2012 study found that listening to music during a long drive can actually improve your mood and relieve work-related stress.

You have a killer back pain

Workaholics are more likely to report disabling back pain than those who aren’t as job-obsessed, according to a recent Japanese study. The connection remained even after taking type of job into account — say, manual workers versus office-desk dwellers — leading the researchers to believe psychological factors may play a role in the pain’s development. If you’re using the computer, change up how you sit to reduce strain. Support your lower back with a pillow, keeping your hands, wrists, forearms, and thighs parallel. This perfects your posture and eases pain, according to guidelines from Harvard Medical School.

You’re plagued with stomach aches

The brain’s nervous system is linked to the gut’s, so mental stress can wreak havoc on your GI tract, says Bincy Abraham, a gastroenterologist at Baylor College of Medicine. Depending on your situation, your doctor may treat your tummy troubles with drugs or refer you to a therapist. Over work can lead you to experience aches and other tummy troubles. The best natural remedy for stress-caused constipation, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting is exercise or simply reducing your work hours. It may sound like these are the last things you want to do when your stomach is aching, but heading out for a run or leaving work early can boost endorphins, which make the mind and the gut feel better.

Your relationship is crumbling

Your work life may be sinking your real life. Couples, who struggle to strike a balance between work and home, are more likely to split up than those who are able to separate the two, a study in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Therapy found. Partners, who let office issues take over their personal lives, were more likely to experience “displaced aggression,” where the flood of problems causes them to snap at their partners and, a lot of times, at their children. Don’t let your work disintegrate your home and handle conflicts in their own domain. Resolve work at the office and manage your relationship issues at home, making sure never to submerge the two.

Your dedication is converting into depression

All work and no play can leave you with more than a temporary bout of depression. People who work long hours are more likely to be depressed than those who clock-out after six hours, finds a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. This is because people look to their work when issues arise with friends and family, says study author Dr Liselotte Dyrbye. Finding an ‘escape’ in work can contribute to an increased risk of burnout, depression and poor quality of life, according to the research. If your job requires you to be constantly on-call, try to set aside at least a half hour for your buddies. “Take a break to see the world outside your cube and you’ll avoid burnout,” says Dyrbye.

Your phone is your best friend

Cell phone seems like a great idea but soon, you might find yourself tethered to your job well after you leave the office. Getting calls from work can whittle away your psychological and physical wellbeing, finds a recent report from the University of Surrey in the UK. “Technologies are supposed to facilitate our life and make us more flexible,” study author Dr Svenja Schlachter says. But being available to the people on the other end of the phone line — versus those right in front of you—causes stress to rise even more. It also doesn’t give your brain the time it needs to reboot, leading to inadequate recovery, sleep issues and tension in your relationships, Schlachter notes.

You’re losing hair

Roughly three to six months during and after a majorly stressful occurrence at work, you might notice more hair on your brush or in the drain than usual. Super-high levels of sex hormones called androgens, which zoom-up during stress, could mess with hair follicles to prompt temporary hair loss, says Roberta Sengelmann, a dermatologist in Santa Barbara, California. Unfortunately, there’s no one food or supplement that’s proven to restore your tresses, but eating a balanced diet can help cell growth and healing. But a better option would be to take a break from work for a while. It’s surprising what a small vacay away from work can do to heal your mind and body.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  13^th,  2015.

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