DON’T LET YOUR JOB TAKE YOUR LIFE
Dr. Art Bowler
www.drartbowler.com

Bio: Dr. Art Bowler is a clinical psychologist who practices at 138 West 25th Street in Manhattan.  You can reach him at (646) 823-5080 or at  www.drartbowler.com. 

Overwhelmed by job stress?  Taking your work home with you?  Feel your heart rate and blood pressure go up when you think about work?  You’re not alone.  Job stress is one of the most prevalent concerns that individuals face today.

Continual worry about projects, deadlines, employers’ perceptions, and feelings about how we are treated at work can deeply impact our level of happiness and satisfaction with our lives.  And job concerns can suck the emotional and physical energy we usually give to our personal relationships, which negatively impacts not only us but our families, friends, and children.   

It is clear that stress affects our bodies.  A Norwegian study showed that a simple rumor about a factory shutting down showed an immediate rapid increase in worker’s blood pressure and pulse.  And as a company downsizes, it seems workplace accidents and injuries tend to rise.  When stressed, we seek food to comfort, we eat erratically, we forego exercise, and can wind up with high cholesterol and an increase in the how quickly heart disease and heart attacks can progress.  In fact, as stressed workers become older, their blood pressure levels become significantly higher than normal even though they do not perceive any change.  This is not good news. 

Stress also affects our sense of self.  When we are not rewarded well at work for whatever reason and in whatever way, it is very difficult to feel good emotionally and spiritually.  Working affects our self-esteem—and when things at work are bad, be it because of a boss, co-workers, or hating your job—our self-esteem suffers.  Whether we turn to a new career or turn to alcohol or drugs depends on many factors.  But because we spend so much time within the social environment of work, it is imperative that we strategically view our careers and consider the physical and psychological long-term consequences of our jobs. 
 
If you have become burned out, exhausted, cynical and negative, if you feel helpless and hopeless related to your career position, you are more susceptible to heart disease, stroke, obesity, eating disorders, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.   But because I’ve helped hundreds of individuals develop personal strategies that can greatly lessen the negative impact of stress and develop ways to get the most from their career, I know change is possible.  Sometimes it involves changing our minds and our perceptions, and sometimes it involves changing our jobs.   

My take on it is this:  Don’t be afraid to deal with your stress—when we fact the facts, that’s when we can make smart changes.  This is what I tell my clients: if you’re in denial, you can’t learn and deal!  With that being said, the first thing you should do while reading this is stop and breathe.  In and out.  In through your nose and out through your mouth from your diaphragm.  When stressed, we hold our breath out of fear-- we don’t like what’s coming!   What we need to do instead is take in oxygen so we can think, process, and move forward.  We also need to “air out” our brains by talking about it—in whatever shape or form, to supportive others.  Ventilating feelings is effective.  Third, escape the stressful environment when you can—even if it’s for a ten minute walk if you can get in the exercise.  Don’t sit at your desk during a break—get some fresh air.  Getting an IPod is a great idea—a short 10 minute musical break can really help motivate you or calm you down.  And to reiterate, don’t get stuck in denial!  Stress is real and it won’t just go away.  Living in denial only helps stress get the best of us.  Your salary does not have to cost you your physical and emotional health—so take charge of your stress and live with more happiness every day!