Apr 15, 2019
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You know the saying “choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life?” Yeah, that doesn’t seem to ring true in most cases. No matter how much you love your job, there will always be days that you are stressed or anxious. When it comes to working, the goal is to have more good days than bad. The earlier that you are able to identify a problem, the better you are able to handle feelings of stress, exasperation, and anxiety. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it should be treated with the same consideration. Here are ways that you can cope when work gets you down.
Carve Out Free Time
A lot of solutions include just finding a new job. But the truth is that is not always feasible. Many people do not have the financial means to up and quit their job, so the best way you can deal with stress is outside of work during your free time. Developing a hobby will really help you channel your pent up negative energy into a positive outcome. Even attempting to learn a new skill can improve your mood. It is great to come home and relax and unwind by watching TV or reading a book, but if you do that every day you might get stuck into a routine that will make you feel trapped and even more anxious. Plan ahead in the week so on your days off you will have some time to work on projects that you are passionate about.
Learn to Recognize the Symptoms
Anxiety does not always manifest with sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat. There are a lot of underlying symptoms that many people mistake as just a normal reaction to their surroundings. Common signs of anxiety include:
Irritability
Insomnia
Trouble concentrating
Physical symptoms like headaches, backaches or stomach aches
Mood swings
Exhaustion
Isolation
These physical symptoms over time will build up and get much worse if they are not treated. If you do not treat the underlying problem, they will continue to persist. Little steps are better than no steps at all, even if you just take it one day at a time. Learn stretches and breathing exercises that you can do at your desk. On your lunch break maybe take a walk around the building. Talking with your manager about your feelings and see if you can come up with a solution. The biggest way to counteract these symptoms in the short term is to exercise. Anxiety causes your body to flood with cortisol, a hormone that is found in your bloodstream and can cause all sorts of health problems. Exercising can help regulate those hormones and make you feel better.
Stress will always be a part of our lives, but how we handle it is what makes the biggest difference. Putting your physical and mental health first will benefit you in the long run much more than any job can. And if you are truly miserable at your job, you need to remember that life is short and you don’t want to waste it working at a job that you hate. So yeah, even though you might not be able to afford to take on a new job can you really afford to stay at your old one?