This Is How Work Stress Affects Our Personal Lives
One of the most important fictions that characterizes the way we relate to work in the 21st century consists of the distinction between personal life and professional life.
It is a fiction that, yes, is convenient in certain cases, but the reality is that there are a lot of personnel at work (without going any further, in most cases our ability to support ourselves depends on the ability to obtain income through a business or job) and a lot about work on a personal level (for example, recruitment teams tend to examine what we upload on social networks, even if it has nothing to do with our professional experience).
Perhaps because this imaginary line between the private and the work affects our way of analyzing reality, there are those who assume that the effects of the feeling of pressure produced by work are limited to that, work, and that as soon as the work ends working hours we manage to disconnect and leave behind conflicts in the company, the rush to reach sales objectives, and the tendency to compare ourselves with department colleagues. However, Work stress is characterized by having as much or more notable effects on our personal life than in the professional context as we will see in this article.
By its very nature, the world of work normally generates a certain amount of stress related to the need to reach certain requirements for profitability and productive efficiency as well as the need to predict, as far as possible, threats in the form of competitive maneuvers or rapid technological, economic or political changes.
However, it must be taken into account that stress is not a problem in itself, and as long as it is proportional compared to the possible risks or dangers that you are trying to avoid, it is useful. When we talk about work stress, however, we are referring to a type of stress that is a problem in itself, either because its wear and tear is excessive for the physical and mental health of the person who suffers it, or because it gives rise to harmful behaviors in other senses.
It is clear that there are some triggers or partial causes of work stress that are not under the person’s control or that cannot be solved in the short or medium term, such as job insecurity; However, there are others that can be intervened on. The complicated thing in these cases is to maneuver in a way in which this excess stress does not lead to a tendency to self-sabotage instead of a way of life that helps strengthen mental health and get away from what feeds stress.
How does work stress influence us beyond work?
These are the different ramifications through which we can suffer work stress when we are dedicating ourselves to areas of our lives that, in principle, have nothing to do with work.
1. It makes us feel guilty if we stop thinking about work
How stress “pulls” our attention towards everything that worries us, the simple fact of not wanting to think about it and aspiring to disconnect for a while (even if it is to regain strength) makes us feel irresponsible. But at the same time, since we cannot recover, we do not have the capacity to efficiently confront the problem that must be solved. For example, if we have work pending, work stress will prevent us from enjoying the weekend, and we will arrive on Monday with mental exhaustion that will prevent us from solving accumulated tasks and facing new ones. All of this will also affect our self-esteem.
2. It makes us more irritable and predisposed to conflict
People who are very stressed respond poorly to social interactions that they consider unpleasant or unexpected, reacting with too much hostility or even aggression. This is because this is the “easiest” way out when you consider that you cannot deal with a request that you did not expect, even if it is just the need to pay attention to someone who starts a conversation.
3. Excess stress causes sleeping problems
Insomnia is an omnipresent problem in cases of people affected by work stress, both because of its frequency (it appears in practically all individuals) and because of the depth of its effects: The lack of adequate rest generates a chain effect which drags down all other aspects of mental health: it generates memory and concentration problems, predisposes to the appearance of mood or impulse control disorders, etc.
4. Always being on alert affects our digestion
The digestive system is very sensitive to neuroendocrine changes produced by excess stress. Symptoms can range from a simple tendency to suffer from belly pain to real problems properly absorbing many of the nutrients in food.
5. It prevents us from enjoying the most meaningful personal relationships
From everything we’ve seen so far, it’s easy to see that people stressed by work will have a hard time paying attention to their loved ones while they ruminate about their worries. Many people who suffer from work stress look back and regret not appreciating those moments with their family, friends and partners, simply because as they are part of their daily lives and what they “take for granted” they become secondary.
6. It increases the risk of falling into addiction
Anxiety and stress problems show a clear association with the risk of developing addictive disorders, whether with drug use (such as work, cocaine or alcohol) or without substance use (as happens with problem gambling). This is due, in part, to the fact that these types of experiences capable of “hooking” are one of the few ways that many people have to completely escape the worries related to work at least temporarily, and its effects linked to pleasure are very short-term, so they can be applied in moments of greatest vulnerability and emotional crisis.
Strategies to face and overcome work stress
One of the peculiarities of work stress is that it can be nourished by a wide variety of situations and ways of dealing with work on a daily basis; that is why The most effective measure to deal with it is to go to psychotherapy taking into account that a professional in the field of mental health offers completely personalized treatment adapted to the needs of each patient (and their circumstances).
However, it may also be helpful to apply these general tips that I give you here. To maximize your ability to overcome work stress you should:
Are you looking for professional help to manage stress?
If you need psychotherapeutic support due to the burnout you suffer from problems at work or in other areas of your life, contact me.
My name is Pigeon King Cardona and I am a General Health Psychologist; My office offers care to people of all ages, and I also offer the possibility of online therapy sessions via video call.
