Featured Health Article
According to a 2011 survey by the American Psychological association, one in four employed adults feel that their job demands interfere with their family/home responsibilities.
A variety of workplace factors, including heavy workload, demanding job expectations and long hours, can lead to feeling like your life is out of balance. This type of chronic stress can eventually interfere with your ability to function normally at work and home. It is important to watch out for signs of anxiety so that you can take steps to minimize stressors and strike a better balance.
Symptoms of stress
People exhibit symptoms of stress differently, but some common symptoms include:
- Elevated heart rate
- Skipping heart beats
- Rapid breathing
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Dizziness
- Abnormal bowel habits
- Dry mouth
- Change in eating habits
What is the right work style?
That depends on you. Some people feel comfortable mixing work and family throughout the day. They may address family issues while at work during the day and take work home with them at night. Other individuals consistently keep separate and distinct boundaries between the two. Still others merge the two styles and alternate between periods of integration and separation depending on the time of year. The important thing is to identify which method is most effective at reducing your stress level and go with it.
Minimizing stressors
It is important to create time for yourself in your work and home life. Build breaks into your day to allow yourself to recharge. Ask for help from others. Give tasks to colleagues or family members, or consider hiring someone to help out with chores and errands. If you are feeling stressed, avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco products, which may also cause or make symptoms worse. Most importantly, be willing to let things go. If you weren’t able to get to a specific task today, don’t fret. You’ll get to it tomorrow.
Sources:
American Psychological Association,
www.apa.org
Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine,
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003211.htm