How healthy do you think you are?
It seems impossible these days not to be under too much stressed considering how much we have made ourselves too busy. Whether we are an employee who works from 9-5, a business owner who barely have time to spend with the family or a student who has always been loaded with a lot of homework particularly during weekends.
The technology may somehow be the ultimate culprit of all. We think that technology is a God-given gift because it has enabled us to make things easier. Yes, that is true, but with that comes a load of things that has to be done in just a short amount of time.
An employee, for example, has to sometimes work even beyond his scope of responsibilities.
Why?
It may be caused by the lack of manpower in the office or the management may have seen the potential of the employee to become promoted. Naturally, an employee who feels that it is his way of increasing his salary would do everything just to get his job done and eventually be recognized of all his efforts which equates to a few thousands more every month. Therefore, overtime work has become a necessity.
For business owners, they think that they have the time in their own hands when in reality, they need to be spending more time making sure that the business runs smoothly.
There may be people assigned to work on different tasks, but a responsible business owner does not rely on his employees 100%. Why? You know how people can do some “magic” when they know that their bosses have full trust in them.
These “managers” may have a tendency to take advantage and you know what may happen next…. You may have known from the news how some people in the management may have had conspired with employees that have taken away millions of pesos from the company that they have worked with for many years. And for sure, this still happens. Therefore, business owners should also be careful with the kind of people that he hires.
For stay-at-home moms, you deserve only the best. And being a parent, your responsibility for your household is tremendous.
A lot of chores to do each, taking care of the small children, and still manages to be online for quite a number of hours to keep in touch with your “amigas”, or your eyes glued on your favorite teleseryes.
These may seem relaxing, but when you fail to prioritize the most important things to be done, your tendency is to rush things up and then ultimately you forget doing something.
When I think about how my childhood was, I would say that the students today suffer more stress than ever. For one, the lessons being taught to them seem to be more advanced than they were during my days. And with that, a long list of requirements that needs to be submitted on time.
To make it worse, sometimes students need to work in groups even during weekends. I wonder how these teachers think. My son had experienced too much stress when most of the subjects have projects to be submitted the following day or a week after that, of course, me being a mother, would help him. Sometimes, 24 hours is not enough to finish all of them that I literally do the rest of the requirement.
Stressing Over Work
You may be familiar with the saying, “Stop and smell the roses”, but have you done it lately?
I had my share of working almost 18 hours a day the first time I worked as a chat support for a US chat site. It was something new to me and so I was excited to be working most of the time. I barely had a good sleep- just about 4 hours a day. And for about 6 months, I was sleeping on the couch to make sure that I am awake by 4 am to prepare breakfast for my kids. Was it worth it?
During those times, there was both a positive and a negative side for me being a workaholic.
The positive effect was that I was able to learn so much with my former employer that I was able to work with practically any kind of job that a client would need.
It helped gain my confidence because, for a time, I was at my lowest that I felt empty. The negative effect was, my immune system weakened. I was sent to the ER 4 times in three months and was hospitalized for 4 days.
When my employer was having trouble getting more clients and failed to send my salary on time, I knew it was time to move on. It was quite a while until I had another online job which was actually good since I was able to get more rest and was able to venture into another earning opportunity.
Recommended reading: Strengthening Your Financial Resources Amidst Crisis
Reclaim Your Life
If you must work more than the usual number of hours, I would say that the best thing that you can do is to spend a few minutes of stretching, at least. It will help your blood circulate better. And once you have the time to take some time off from work, consider getting a short vacation, say, going to the beach.
Here are some other ways to de-stress from a hectic week:
- Become active in sports.
- Go to the gym.
- Do yoga at home.
- Have a weekly spa date with your spouse or friends.
- Shopping can be de-stressing as well, only if you have the control not to overspend.
- Start with a new hobby like making arts and crafts, planting, or painting.
- Curl up in your favorite chair and listen to your favorite music.
- Watch a movie. You don’t need to leave your home if you have a SMART TV, since there are tons of movies which you can watch from Netflix, iflix, and Amazon Prime Videos.
What happens when we always feel stressed or lack enough rest?
Here are the effects of stress on our body:
A. Physical Effects
- Change in sex drive
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle tension or pain
- Sleep problems
- Stomach upset
B. Psychological Effects
- Angry outbursts
- Anxiety
C. Behavioral Effects
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Exercising less often
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Irritability or anger
- Lack of motivation or focus
- Overeating or undereating
- Restlessness
- Sadness or depression
- Social withdrawal
- Tobacco use
If we allow this to happen for a long time, it is not impossible not to develop more serious problems which can lead to death.
Our bodies need to have some time to recharge. After all, if we have enough rest, both our minds and bodies would be working well in finishing whatever tasks that we are assigned to. Some of you may say that the only reason why you are working so hard is that you need to make more money to make both ends meet for the family. I do understand that, however, take some time to think if the work that you do is worth all the stress. The money that you may be earning from too much work may not be enough to pay your hospital bills. And, have you ever thought about securing your future?
Recommended reading:
Strategies to Avoid Being Stressed
When we know how to deal with our everyday activities well, we can avoid being stressed by a number of ways.
- Learn to prioritize what is important. More than the urgency of a certain task, you must weigh down things and do the most important task of all ahead of others.
- Learn to say “NO”. You don’t have to push yourself into doing things requested from you even if you think you can do them. Remember that you have your own priorities and responsibilities, too.
- Make yourself invisible sometimes. If you always allow you to be constantly available, people will tend to go to you and maybe ask favors from you. It’s not like forsaking your friends. You just need to have some time for yourself so you can have a “me time”.
- Unplug from the world. You may not be working on a deadline, but you have your fingers constantly clicking on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Don’t you know that being too active in these social media sites can be stressful, too?
- Designate some tasks that you have at hand. If you are a stay at home mom and you are overwhelmed with the laundry which has gotten way taller than you, ask help from your children. This does not only relieve you from doing the chore, but you also teach your children to become responsible.
Life is too short to get yourself all tied up with all the worries in the world. Breathe and learn to give yourself some time to recharge. This does not only make you feel well-rested but can also help you become absolutely more productive.
Recommended reading: 3 Steps to Cope Up with the Stress Due to Your Unpaid Loans
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Jenny Alano
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