Burnt Out? | What Does Workplace Stress Do To My Body

So check this out. You're at your job. You have a tight deadline to meet and you're overloaded with work because you dodged the last round of layoffs, but they gave you the extra work without the pay. Oh no. Now you're struggling to decompress at night before getting right back to the grind the next morning. Most of us have probably felt it, but what even is workplace stress? And why is it so bad for us? What's happening, good people? I'm Alzo Slade here with Nat Geo to break down how everything you experience and consume can affect your body in ways you may not expect. Today we're stressing, what does workplace stress do to my body? We toss the word stress around all the time, but what is stress? Imagine this, you're out on a stroll and suddenly out of nowhere, a dog barks at you. You may jump and feel physically startled, but once you've walked away and realized nothing's gonna happen, the fleeting sensations dissipate. That's a formula for acute stress, a stimulus, a physical reaction, and then normalizing. That physical reaction is when a part of our brain called the hypothalamus signals for the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. It's your classic fight or flight response. Adrenaline heightens our pulse and blood pressure to give us a little jolt of energy. Cortisol increases our blood sugar and suppresses functions our body deems not immediately necessary, like digestion, reproduction, and parts of our immune response. So those guys, y'all take a break while we handle this stressful situation. Stress as a biological response is designed to be temporary and it can be helpful even at work. When we're up against the clock, stress is what can give us that extra push we need to meet the deadline. So then what's the big deal? Well, more folks are reporting more frequent stress. And unfortunately, that's a problem that's grown and worsened over time. Some causes of workplace stress are company cultural, like poor communication or guidance, unfair treatment. You do all the work and someone else gets the recognition? How about those unrealistic demands? Believe it or not, I was asked to wrestle a bear for a story once. Seriously. Many are monetary, like benefits, insufficient pay, or uncompensated and demanding overtime. Obviously, mental health plays a big role in these considerations too. Work-life balance, lack of perceived respect, and effort reward imbalance all take their toll. When these things are happening, we may lose motivation and confidence or withdraw. We may have mood swings or heightened emotional reactions like aggression, sensitivity, or even tears. You understand what I'm saying? You may be going through it right now. So why does workplace stress tax our bodies in a different way? Unlike typical stressors, like that barking dog, workplace stress doesn't dissipate as easily. It's often carried home after hours When it's constant and prolonged, stress can create way more serious problems. Even the animal kingdom demonstrates this. Check this out. Colorado checkered whiptail lizards near a military base were found to stress eat. Yes, lizards stress eat as a response to excessive noise from the low flying aircraft. Song sparrows that had audio of predatory birds playing around them ended up with 53% fewer offspring than the sparrows who only listened to non-predatory bird calls. People, it's basic biology. Constant stress, it ain't good for us. Journalist Udijit Bhattacharjee wrote a National Geographic lead story on the topic and can tell us more about how this works. I think people should be taking chronic stress very, very seriously, not to stress them out. But unlike acute stress, workplace stress is stress that lasts all the time, 24 seven, all those systems in your body, they're constantly in overdrive and that will lead to their malfunctioning. It can cause damage to the kidneys. You might be more likely to develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes. If your immune system starts to get compromised over that long of a period, then you're susceptible to viruses, to germs, infectious diseases. And if that just becomes your normal way of functioning, that's a little bit like arsenic poisoning. You might think it's not killing me right now, but over time, it's going to have some very negative consequences for your health. Ooh, Udijit, thank you. That was heavy, but helpful information. Excessive stress in the workplace is literally making us sick and stealing precious time from our lives. So what can we do about it? You probably won't be able to change your balls or get a new job right away, but you should know that you have more control than you might think. Starting small, just the act of chewing gum can reduce stress levels. Scientists theorize that improved blood flow to the brain could be to thank for that. Another quick and easy one, cold showers. Regular exposure to cold water can reduce stress levels. The shock of cold water can jolt our system, increasing clarity and releasing endorphins. According to Harvard Business Review, work-related stress and all the stuff that comes with it isn't correlated to hours worked. It really depends on if you're a hard worker or a workaholic. You know those folks who can't shut work out of their minds after a long day? Well, they're much worse off than the hard workers who focus on the present and can psychologically detach. They're significantly healthier. Compartmentalizing work and private life can be a steep learning curve for some, but fear not, there is hope yet for those of us who have work-stressed dreams at night. That same study from Harvard showed that within the workaholic umbrella, those who love their work, as in felt fulfilled, rewarded, and engaged, were healthier than those that didn't. You know, as the old adage goes, find a job you enjoy doing and you'll never have to work a day in your life. I get the sentiment, but to be clear, just because you enjoy it doesn't mean it ain't work. To help compartmentalize, Forbes has a few suggestions. First, right-size your reaction. Odds are that you're worried about your mistakes far more than anyone else is. Overreacting benefits no one. Second, create a transition ritual. It's a simple but effective way to wire your brain into separating work time from personal time, which is especially valuable for those who work from home. This should be no surprise, but a generally healthy lifestyle will immensely support your body to keep its cortisol levels in check. You need to regulate and recalibrate, not accumulate. Bars.