Does Your Job Make You Sick?

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Whether your job is exciting or mundane, it's a major source of stress for most Americans. Deadlines, office politics, unreasonable bosses and the pressure to outperform co-workers can lead to a ton of stress. Workplace stress is so prevalent that it costs employers an average of $200 billion per year. Stress can make employees physically ill in addition to causing people to quit their jobs or become unproductive.

To make matters worse, many jobs require people to sit for excessively long periods of time, which can increase stress levels and contribute to illness. If you are stressed out at work, there are things you can do to help protect yourself. You should also know what your rights are.
Taking Responsibility for Stress Reduction

The most important thing you can do to reduce your stress is to take responsibility for it. Taking responsibility doesn't mean blaming yourself; it just means realizing that nobody else is going to reduce your stress and that it's all on you to make changes.

Ask yourself what is stressing you out the most. Brainstorm ways to resolve the problem. For example, if your boss keeps yelling at you in front of your co-workers, maybe you can make sure to check in with him about the progress of your projects or turn in work early so that he doesn't need to come looking for you.

Look at habits you might have that may contribute to the problem. If you lose your temper easily or are constantly complaining about your job, that could be adding to your stress level. Practice taking deep breaths before reacting in order to curb negative habits related to your job stress.

Learning to communicate better is also important for lowering your stress level. Conflicts or miscommunications with co-workers, bosses and clients are often to blame for elevated stress levels. Practice these communication skills to help reduce stress:

• Approach people one-on-one if something they’re doing is bothering you. Tell them calmly how you feel. If possible, brainstorm solutions to the problem together.

• If you don't understand something about a project you're doing, don't be afraid to ask questions.

• Express emotion in a manner that's both professional and honest.

Finally, make sure that you are eating healthy meals and that you are getting enough sleep. Taking care of yourself is vital for reducing stress and preventing stress-related illness. You might also want to add daily exercise into your routine, as exercise is a natural stress reliever.

High Risk Workers

People who work in high risk jobs may experience greater levels of stress than the general population because they face physical danger on a regular basis. Police officers, for example, face stress every time they pull someone over because they never know if the person they're dealing with may become violent towards them. In addition to dealing with physical danger, many police officers face stress because the general public doesn't approve of them and they may feel like they are constantly under scrutiny or that they cannot make mistakes.

Construction workers also face a lot of stress because they work long hours in hazardous conditions. Their work is physically strenuous, and they have to stay alert in order to avoid accidents. Our Indianapolis personal injury attorney firm reminds workers that regardless of whether the job itself is dangerous, employers have responsibilities. They have to keep the working environment as safe as possible and must inform employees of any dangers they need to watch out for.

All jobs are stressful to a degree, but if you do what you can to reduce stress you are much less likely to get sick. Keep stress to a minimum and make sure you know the dangers before agreeing to a job so that you can protect your health.

Shelby Warden is a researcher that contributes articles for the Indianapolis personal injury attorney team at The Sevenish Law Firm. If you were seriously injured in a construction accident, contact them to learn more about your rights and see if they can help you. If a third party can be held liable for damages, they will aggressively seek the maximum compensation you deserve.