Is your job compromising your health? Five tips on what to do

In most careers, there comes a time where you start to feel worn out and can no longer handle doing what you have been doing for years.

While there are barely any simple jobs, as an adult, you have to sacrifice a part of yourself to earn a living.

However, there is a difference between that and completely losing yourself. There are certain careers that can put more pressure on your mental and physical health but that doesn’t mean that you need to be contented with that situation.

As an employee you have the right to a healthy work environment and at the same time, you can put certain measures in place to ensure things don’t fall apart.

Learn to say no

There is nothing wrong with going above and beyond to progress in your career. There might be moments where you will be given extra tasks to do and sometimes that means extending beyond the regular work hours.

At the same time, you need to know when you’re blatantly being exploited. There are some employers who will always expect you to come running whenever they need you and that can put a strain on your health.

If you’re not firm with your boundaries, you will end up pushing yourself to breaking point so you need to be clear about that.

Make use of your leave and off days

No one can work 24/7 for the rest of their lives without needing a break. You might be keen on being the best, which is totally fine, but you should know when to relax.

If you keep pushing yourself when you know you’re not okay, things could get worse. Attempting to forgo your leave and off days, when all the signs are showing that you need them isn’t the wisest thing to do.

Also, if you’re in a stressful career, the only way to counter that is by prioritizing your time off.

Communicate your concerns

Suffering in silence is also something you should never have to deal with. The issue can be sorted faster if you communicate with your supervisor or someone that can help you, soon enough.

If for example you’ve been given work tools that are faulty, you should let them know so that changes are made quickly before the situation worsens.

Take preventative measures

Now that many people are working for home, a big part of the responsibility when it comes to health also lies on the employee themselves.

You might be working for many hours on your laptop which means that you can prevent eye strain by buying blue light filter glasses or even avoiding back problems by investing in a good ergonomic seat.

Basically, there are many health problems you can avoid by doing what you can to ensure you’re not compromising your health.

Consider your other options

If you’re dealing with serious health problems because of your job, you should check whether there are some adjustments that can be made like moving to a different department or if your only option is to start applying for another job.

Take time to think about it, and see what the best solution is.