Recently, a young woman named Mita Duran died after one of the too-frequent 30-hour work days she put in as a copywriter for an international ad agency. The comments on this story number in the thousands; some fault the energy drinks she was consuming to stay awake, some fault the work culture that expects such long hours, others say they do it and it hasn’t killed them yet.
The overwhelming impression you get from the comments is that it is common to be expected to put in increasingly longer hours if you are going to have a job and keep it.
I’m wondering how many people die from job related stress. It probably affects our lives more than we are willing to admit, but there are ways to make things a little bit better:
- Make sure you are taking breaks and walking around. Your body needs it.
- Drink more water than your drinking coffee or energy drinks. (You can walk to the bathroom for your breaks!) Your body needs to be hydrated and too much caffeine in your system will damage it.
- Eat healthy. Take a snack that has protein and nutrients in it instead of straight sugar/fat/carb bombs that make your blood sugar shoot up and then crash.
- Do stretches at your desk, and raise your computer so you can stand sometimes. I’m thinking about getting one of those huge balls to sit on. I hear it’s great for the stomach and core.
- Put up a photo of a calm scene…the ocean, a mountain lake, etc. Gaze into it and imagine going there.
These tips are oriented to a desk job, but whatever your job entails there will be some positive actions you can do. Today’s work climate means you have to deal with the stressful conditions you encounter when working long hours. Hopefully, it comes in seasons and there are breaks. Sometimes the work load is an incentive to look for a new job, and we can certainly help you with that.
Nobody should be dying on the job. Change your work lifestyle in 2014 and your body (and mind) will thank you.