In any workplace, there can be many factors attributing to stress and anxiety. We are asked to work harder, be more available, and embrace change and technology at a moment’s notice.
Emails come through at all hours especially if your business is multi-national and there seems little time for rest and relaxation. We ignore the warning signs, the fatigue, the brain fog, and the inability to sleep. Waking up in the middle of the night in a panic, have you done that important job or has it slipped off the conveyor belt of tasks that never end?
We worry, all the time. We worry we are not good enough, whether our jobs are stable, whether our colleagues like and respect us. Personality clashes can cause friction, leading to an unhappy working environment and adding to rising stress levels.
I worked part-time for an oil exploration company, dealing with offshore workers, in particular their flights and visas. There was an enormous level of paperwork involved which had to be precise and delivered timely to ensure all nationalities of workers were able to arrive in the designated country and board our vessels.
Eventually, I became burnt out, working way over my paid hours to account for the time zones the crew were travelling to, terrified I’d make a mistake and they would be refused entry, which would impact the planned schedule.
One Christmas we had to provide paperwork to the government exactly two days before boarding was planned. It fell on Boxing Day and while my family relaxed, I slogged my guts out making sure everything was in place.
It was then I began to question why I was putting myself through it. I’d lost weight, was unable to sleep, my mind constantly focused on the job and not on my family. It was damaging my mental health despite my employer being understanding and providing services to help. It was just what the job entailed.
When redundancies came about due to covid I put my hand up. I felt so free, walking away from a cycle I could no longer continue. Although it was hard at first to adjust to the change of pace, I found comfort in my writing. I had time and, more importantly, the mental space to be creative.
Since then, I’ve never looked back. If your job is making you ill, run, don’t walk to the door.