Do you leave your job every day with a headache? Do you have a large kink in your neck by the end of the week? Is your lower back constantly hurting? Your job is probably trying to kill you.
Ok, so it’s not chasing after you with an axe, but poor conditions at your office can actually take a deathly toll on your body. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to your cubicle’s torture. Find out what practices can leave your body in pain and what you can do to prevent those annoying aches.
1. Stress is wreaking havoc on your hormones
Most jobs these days have a high level of demand. Your boss is yelling. Your presentation is due in an hour. You have eight hours of meetings before you can even start to work. It’s like the stress level of a warzone, but you have to deal with it every day. When you are this stressed out, your body is in survival mode.
This survival mode — often referred to as “fight or flight response” — releases adrenaline and stress hormones into our bodies, preparing us to fight or run. But in the modern world, we can’t punch your boss, or run from him, without being fired. Since you can’t use them, the toxic hormones build up and can cause problems with your hormone and immune system, causing headaches, high blood pressure, or even irritable bowel syndrome.
Make It Stop!: Don’t let stress overrun your life. When you feel yourself stressing out, take a few breaths in and out. Learn some simple yoga moves that you can do at your desk. Find a mantra to repeat to yourself, like “It just doesn’t matter.” Anything you can do to keep your stress levels down will help.
2. Sitting down all day is killing your back
That pain in your butt might not be from your overbearing boss. Sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day isn’t the optimal situation for our bodies. Neither is starring at a computer screen for that long. This position that we’re stuck in day in and day out can cause permanent damage to our skeletal system, eyes, and other parts of our body.
According to chiropractors, our bodies were not designed to sit for most of the day. This can cause major pain in our backs, and even mess up our spines. Using a mouse and typing all day can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome in our wrists, which requires surgery to fix. And starring at screen all day can cause computer vision syndrome, which doesn’t cause permanent eye damage, but can lead to serious strain on your eyes.
Make It Stop!: Take small breaks as frequently as possible. Go to the bathroom. Use a smaller water cup so you have to refill it more often. Do a lap around the office. Step outside for a minute to get some fresh air. Close your eyes for a minute or two while you lean back in your chair. If you simply cannot get up from your desk, make sure you are sitting with proper posture with both feet firmly on the ground.
3. Unhealthy food options are making you gain weight.
Are you getting all your fruits and vegetables while at your desk? Chances are, no. With your options around the office being limited to take-out food and vending machine goodies, you are more than likely not getting the vitamins and nutrients you need for a healthy body.
The soda, French fries, chips, and burgers that you are consuming daily are taking a toll on your body.
Obesity contributes to myriad of diseases, and is the #2 cause of death among Americans, behind smoking. So as you are stuffing that donut into your mouth as you run to your first meeting, think about what it’s doing to your body.
Make It Stop!: Yes, you’ve heard it before, but bringing your own lunches really does help. Keep a loaf of bread and some lunchmeat in the office fridge so you can make sandwiches on site. Also, keep a bag of carrots there, along with a couple apples, oranges, or bananas. Fruits and veggies are great afternoon snacks and can help control your hunger so you don’t go reaching for that bag of Cheetos in the vending machine. Chances are, most of the food options in and around your office are unhealthy, so try to bring as much from home as possible.
4. Not enough sleep can cause long-term issues.
Not catching enough ZZZZZs during the week? The average adult needs eight hours of sleep a night. Are you getting that? It might be hard with your demanding job and your outside life filling up your days, but without the right amount of sleep, you cannot function at full capacity. Long-term lack of sleep can also lead to serious health problems.
In addition to not having enough hours in the day, stress can also be contributing to your sleeplessness. A stressful day can flood your body with adrenaline, making it hard for you to fall asleep. Your constant consumption of caffeine is also not helping. Caffeine has an average of a 12-hour half-life in your body, so if you have a cup of coffee at 2 p.m., it’s still going to be circulating around in your blood stream at 2 a.m.
Make It Stop!: Unplug and unwind before heading to bed. Turn off as many lights as possible, since light simulates sun, tricking your body into thinking it’s daytime. Read or do some light yoga before bed, to relax your body. If you MUST have that cup of coffee to wake up, limit yourself to that one cup, so it’s mostly out of your system by the time you go to bed.
5. Your office is a breeding ground for germs.
There is something going around the office, and you are bound the catch it. When confined in a tight space like an office, germs can spread easily from employee to employee. Think about all the places in the office that you share with all the other employees: bathrooms, kitchens, elevators. No where is safe.
According to a study by Penn State, 30% of illnesses start in the workplace, compared to 18% at home. That’s because enclosed places that are set at certain temperature and sheltered from the sun are more likely to produce airborne germs, since they mostly die in the fresh air and sunlight.
Make It Stop!: Wash your hands. All the time. If you are bored and need a break, go wash your hands. If you are sick, stay home. I’m sure you think you seem like a selfless worker bee if you come in even when you are hacking up a lung, but no one is going to appreciate your sacrifice when they are all home sick with your cold.
In general, if you find yourself leaving work with a splitting headache every night, you may need to modify your office behavior. Don’t give yourself another reason to hate your job, especially when you can take steps to change it.
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