Is Your Job Too Stressful?

I recently explored the issue of extreme work-related stress, first hand. A company I worked for implemented extreme computer system changes, and the result was chaos. At first everything abruptly halted, then the company teetered on the edge of a precarious cliff for a few days, and then we all plummeted into a sea of mandatory overtime. Ten to twelve hours per day, seven days a week, with no time off in the near future, left everyone frazzled and exhausted. When I determined that things were going to get worse rather than better, I decided to look for another job.

Everyone has a different level of tolerance for work-related stress. However, there are tell-tale signs that the time has come to take inventory of a situation to determine whether or not a job is worth keeping. The following is a list of signs to watch for.

It is time to change your job situation when:

1. You are exhibiting symptoms of extreme fatigue such as blurred vision, palpitations,
excessive sleepiness OR sleeplessness due to the hours worked or the stress you are under, and/or difficulty concentrating.

2. You are so tired you no longer enjoy things you used to enjoy

3. You develop difficulty controlling your emotions and feel irritable or unhappy most of the time

4. Your loved ones begin expressing concern about your change in mood or your health

5. You are putting off necessary household chores for a length of time, to the extent that your quality of life at home is greatly diminished

6. Your job is greatly interfering with your ability to have quality time with loved ones due to long hours worked or due to your being too tired when you get home

7. You dread the next workday, every day

That list is just a rough guide, of course. Only you can judge what level of work-related stress is acceptable in your life. Only you can decide what is best for your situation.

Sections of American society have glamorized the worker who puts in long hours. I am not advocating laziness by any means, and a good work ethic is important to our economy. The problem arises when "a person with a good work ethic" is misconstrued to imply a person willing to sacrifice some of the most important things in life in order to keep a job. When your pets are neglected, your family and/or your health begins to suffer, it is definitely time for a job change.

When a job starts taking more from you than it is giving to you, it's time to consider a change.