Your career is important. You invest a significant amount of your time and effort into driving your professional development forward. However, you still should have enough energy for a healthy home life. What happens when your job starts to affect your personal life and relationships?
This problem has become all too common. One study showed that about two-thirds of employees complain about a poor work-life balance. In these cases, jobs have overcome personal lives, leading to potential problems on the home front.
Some of these situations are fixable. However, others have passed a point of no return. In these dire situations, a job switch is necessary to recalibrate the work-life equilibrium.
Here are five signs it’s time to consider a change:
Mounting Stress/Anxiety
Any job comes with its share of stress. However, ideally, this anxiety would be kept at a minimum. If the emotional toll of your job starts building over time, it’s time to look closely at your situation.
Think of it like radiation. A tiny about of background buzzing on a Geiger counter won’t cause problems. However, if the needle suddenly starts to move in the bad direction, you should probably get out of the danger area as quickly as possible.
Deteriorating Mental Health
We think of stress as a short-time event — a fight-or-flight situation that comes up suddenly but eventually passes. However, prolonged anxiety doesn’t operate like this. Rather, it can start to eat away at your overall mental health.
You might not notice immediately that work is the underlying cause. Still, an uncomfortable work environment can spill over into other problems. These can include:
- Depression
- Increased drug/alcohol dependence
- Sudden mood changes
- Social anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts
Physical Symptoms
The mind-body connection is real. A heavy mental load can start to cause your physical health to break down. Be on the lookout for the physical symptoms of stress. These can include:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Shaking
- General restless feeling
- Lack of sleep
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Other digestive problems
- High blood pressure
- Other cardiovascular issues
Losing Touch with Loved Ones
When was the last time you had lunch with your mom? Your best friend? When was the last time you took a long weekend with your buddies from college?
When you over-focus on your career, your personal world starts to shrink. You lose touch with important people in your life. If you start to see your contact with loved ones dwindle, it might be time to reshape your priorities.
Ignoring Your Outside Interests
It’s expected that your work will play a crucial role in your life. However, it shouldn’t crowd out every other interest. A healthy work-life balance should include time for hobbies and other pursuits.
Time for a Career Change? Contact PrideStaff Bend Today
Ready to find a better work situation? A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can connect you with opportunities that will nurture your home life as well as your career.
Contact PrideStaff today to find the ideal situation for you.
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