Are You Depressed Because of Workplace Stress?

If you're reading this article, chances are you are experiencing workplace stress, right?  There's also a good chance that your workplace stress have reached a certain level where you sometimes (if not all the time) feel depressed.

You are not alone.  All of us, at one time or another, have experienced workplace stress.  But how do you know that you are stressed?  More importantly, how do you know that you are depressed?


Aft.org have listed down physical and psychological signs that workplace stress (and other stressors) are getting to you:

Physical warning signs are:

• "headaches
• stomach problems
• over/undereating
• sleep disturbances
• muscle aches and pains
• skin rashes
• teeth grinding"*

Sound familiar?  Here's more:

Psychological warning signs include:

• "forgetfulness
• anger
• frustration
• anxiety
• depression
• irritability
• feeling powerless"*

Are you starting to see...you?

 Well, now let's see how serious your workplace stress is.  Is your workplace stress serious enough to cause depression?  How do you know that you are already a candidate for depression?

• Are you demotivated?  Do you hate waking up in the morning to go to work?  Do you have to force yourself, push yourself to get dressed and go to the office?  Are you losing interest on things you used to enjoy?
• Have you lost energy?  Are you tired most of the time?  Do you feel weak as if fatigue have taken over you? Don't you have energy, even if you just woke up?
• Have you become unproductive?  Is your to-do list getting longer and longer and you feel you have not accomplished anything at the end of each day?
• Do you procrastinate?  Do you find yourself putting off important tasks at an increasing rate?
• Are you feeling less and less confident about yourself?  Even feeling worthless at times?
• Do you withdraw from people?  Do you avoid relationships, wanting to be "alone" most of the time?

Workplace stress is one of life's realities.  Everyone get's stressed, especially at work.  It's either the demands are too much or your expectations are not being met.  Either way, if left unchecked, workplace stress can cause depression.  Start managing your workplace stress by acknowledging how stressed you are.  Then, start doing something about it before you get really depressed.
   
Sources:
* http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1137195340877175320#editor/target=post;postID=3832277600063123055
**http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/mental_health/articles/how_to_keep_depression_from_wrecking_work.aspx

Workplace Stress: Is it time to Quit?

I used to complain a lot about workplace stress.  And then I realized - what part of life is not susceptible to stress?  Even children get stressed!  Dogs, too.  So, why not you?

Workplace stress is, therefore, inevitable.  And you shouldn't expect somebody else to deal with workplace stress for you.  It's your stress, deal with it.

But that's not the issue right now.  The issue is that you've tried overcoming workplace stress and yet the signals to "throw-in the towel" are getting way beyond workplace stress management.

What are the signals?  The article, "Is it Time to Quit Your Job?", got some points to a "T": your health is at stake, your "boss" wants to get rid of you, it's a dead-end job, everything else has risen except your salary, you have a better option and your workplace stress is also taking its toll on your family.

Let's talk about your health.  Are you absolutely sure that your aches and pains are caused by work? Are you eating the right kind of food?  Do you have some form of exercise? Is your posture correct?  Is your bedroom conducive for sleeping?  While I agree that workplace stress can reach such heights that you will experience perennial headaches and suffer from insomnia, this is not always the case.  Is your work making you sick?  Or are you sick that's why your work suffers?

The "boss", of course, is a different matter altogether.  Although I believe that there are ways to manage your "boss", there are, indeed, situations where no amount of managing can help.  If you're part of the management team, this is workplace stress in its ultimate form.  Everyone in the office may want to get rid of you.  So what? If you're "boss" is backing you up? But when you're being left out, not given any assignments, treated like a non-entity, then it's probably time to look for other options.

A dead-end job and no pay increase are two issues you must learn to accept.  Unemployment is on the rise.  People who have jobs are lucky to still have one.  What's a dead-end job anyway.? For now, at least, while the economy is on a slump, just consider yourself blessed that you have some work to rush to in the morning and a paycheck to look forward to once or twice a month.  

If you feel you're not growing in your job, well, "grow" yourself.  Go back to school.  Take short courses.  Read books. Use the internet to update yourself.  Make your job more challenging by giving yourself higher expectations about the quality of your work.  When you get into a dead-end street, you don't leave your car do you?

People are losing jobs or getting pay cuts. If money is not expanding, it's time to look into lifestyle.  How are you spending your money?  What expenses can be reduced?  What things can you let go of? When you're having workplace stress that seems to be taking over your life, having savings is very important.  You never know if workplace stress will eventually turn out to be no-work stress. 

If you've been offered another job, good for you.  But I'd be careful.  Of course you've heard of the proverbial "from the frying pan into the fire". No one will guarantee that moving from one office to another will free you from workplace stress.  The only guarantee you'll have is, for sure, there will also be workplace stress.  And always remember, you meet the same kind of people, encounter the same kind of problems, until you've learned to deal with them.

Remember, you have a family to think about.  And when work is interfering with family, what then?  Ever heard of time management? Of prioritizing?  Of making sure you do your work right so you don't have to spend any time at the office anymore than you should?  Ever heard of vacation leaves?  And of making sure that when you're with family, you are with them and not half-way with work?

It's probably obvious by now I am not encouraging anyone to quit.  When workplace stress hits, find time to take a break, think things through and pray for God's guidance.  It's also time to look for other options.  

If workplace stress is getting the better of you, you don't really need to get boxed in your office cubicle.  You can get a job, working at home.  If you're thinking of quitting, don't quit yet.  Explore the idea of working at home.  Here are some links to help you get started:

How To Become a Virtual Assistant : http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4268349

Virtual Assistant Online Workshop: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4268351
On-line mentoring club: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4272657
Social Mentoring Club: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4278581
Online Wealth Breaktrough Seminar: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4274270