You should never trade your health for a job. While some occupational hazards are obvious, others may be less noticeable and may cause more gradual damage. To help you identify the latter, here are 5 signs that your job is bad for your health (and that you should probably quit).
1- You’ve Got Serious Pains and Aches
Physical aches and pains may be the result of an accident. Heavy lifting injuries are common and make up many worker’s compensation cases. You may not want to work for an employer once an injury like this occurs, although there may be ways of still doing the job without aggravating the injury.
In other cases, aches and pains may be the result of stress or repetitive motions. Only by releasing stress or taking a break from a repeated activity can you reduce these pains. This may involve having to quit your job.
There are also jobs that are making you bend your body or lift heavy objects in such a repetitive manner that it’s worn out your body. In such a case, the only way to get rid of the pains and aches is to quit that job.
2- You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
It’s possible that you may be working long and unpredictable shifts, which could be preventing you from developing a healthy sleep routine. In other cases, the stress of a job could be keeping you awake at night.
Poor sleep quality can cause all kinds of health problems. If your job doesn’t allow you to get a good night’s sleep, it could be a good reason to leave your job.
3- You Get Colds Often
If you find yourself getting colds often, it could be because you’re run down from work-related stress. When we’re stressed, our immune system is less effective at fighting off colds and viruses.
Your workplace could also turn out to be a breeding ground for such colds (if colleagues are often sick, it could be that something is wrong). If you can’t find other ways to improve your immune system, quitting your job could be necessary in order to protect your health.
4- You’re Gaining or Losing Weight Fast
Gaining or losing weight can be a positive thing, but if it’s not intended then there might be a reason to worry.
Rapid weight loss or weight gain could occur following a change in physical activity (i.e. moving from a physically active job to a sedentary job might cause you to pile on the pounds), however, a more likely reason could be stress. If you aren’t able to control this rapid weight gain/loss, it could be time to quit your job.
5- You are Dreading Your Work
We all have had days when we don’t want to go to work. But if you find that you are dreading going to work on a daily basis, that’s not a healthy situation that you can sustain forever.
I this is what’s happening to you it could be a sign that your work is not good for your mental health. You could be associating work with trauma. Perhaps the work is too demanding or perhaps your colleagues are bullies, or your boss is picking on you, or any other valid reasons why going to work is painful.
In such a case, the only way to beat this anxiety could be to quit your job.
Sure keeping your job is important as it’s not always easy to find work, but keeping your job at the cost of your mental, emotional and physical health might not be worth it.