.png)
For those of you just starting out in a career, there are many times you put other things in life on hold because you want to concentrate on building your career in order to reach your personal and professional goals.
However, building that career isn't always enjoyable as you may face an over demanding and never satisfied employer, a disorganized or hostile work environment where employees are pitted against one another in order to succeed, or you may simply be facing too many tasks on your plate and too little time and feeling completely overwhelmed as the work continues to pile up.
Even if you enjoy your job, you may experience a good deal of stress and unless you find some way of relieving that stress you may see that it affects your health in a number of different ways.
You Experience Pain
Many people don't realize it, but mental and emotional stress can manifest itself in actual physical pain. The pain many people experience run the gambit from headaches and muscle aches to pain when swallowing liquids or food, to stomach ache. The pain you feel may be either intermediate or chronic.
If your doctor performs a number of tests and finds no physical reason for your pain then the pain you are experiencing may be due to high levels of stress. Medical professionals have also noted that when patients have high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they seem to experience more stress related pain.
Your More Susceptible to Common Illnesses
Increased stress levels are known to weaken your immune system resulting in making you more susceptible to common illnesses such as colds and respiratory infections. High stress levels can also result in raising your blood pressure and causing you to feel dizzy and weak.
Increase or Decrease in Appetite
Stress can also have a major effect on your appetite making you either feel constantly hungry and eating everything in sight, or a complete loss of appetite making it difficult for you eat anything at all. Long periods of stress can result in major weight gain and a strain on your heart and lungs or lack of hunger can result in you suffering from malnutrition. In many cases, you may also feel constant nausea every time you eat as the food you eat may be difficult to digest.
Loss of Memory and Difficulty in Making Decisions
Constant stress can also make it difficult for you to get peaceful sleep and the lack of sleep combined with the high level of stress can result in memory loss and make it difficult to make decisions. Under stress many people find themselves forgetting things as they put their car keys or that important client file. They may also fail to remember appointments or social engagements.
When faced with a situation such as decision making, stressed brains will only focus on the positive side and completely dismiss any potential problems that may arise in future. It can also make it difficult to choose between options when presented with more than one option at a time.
Over the time, severe stress can also result in permanent and serious health problems. Finding a way to relieve the stress can help prevent those current and future health problems. Here are some things that may help you to relieve some of that stress.
Get Exercise - Taking the time to get in some healthy exercise will release endorphins which can release stress. Plus, regular excercising will increase your energy levels and create an over all feeling of well being.
Take Time for The Things You Enjoy - By making time for some of the things you enjoy doing you provide a balance to your life that helps you to lower your stress levels and view your job and your life more positively.
Take the Time to Unwind Before Bed - An hour or two before bedtime you should turn off the television, take a warm bath or shower, listen to music or read a book and simply give your body the time to unwind itself before going to bed. This activity will help you to sleep better and a good night's sleep will also help reduce your stress the next day at work.