Don't Let Work Overloads Bring You Down

By Sandy Schroeder

As the world has changed, most of us have adapted with all sorts of work and family adjustments, but the big one that may be ignored is growing work overloads. If your work overload just keeps building, it may be time to say enough. 

When you split your time between office and home or juggle family and work demands in a 24/7 schedule, work can easily mushroom. One project follows another and just gets blended into the maze of ongoing reports and projects.  

Sometimes that works, sometimes not. If you look closely, you may be paying for the effort in two ways. 

Stress may be a constant companion - Keeping up with family demands and meeting deadlines may keep you on edge most of the time. Too often if everything gets done for your family, you may wind up late on work deadlines. Instead of being realistic about overloads, many of us just take a deep breath and keep going. 

Physical impacts may build - As you hunch over your computer, you may be eating at your desk more, and working longer hours on a regular basis. Daily exercise may drop back, and time with family and friends may almost disappear.  

All sorts of symptoms may become red flags - Your checkups may show weight gain, higher sugar levels, higher blood pressure, and pre-diabetes signs.  Headaches, backaches and exhaustion may be ongoing as sleep suffers and overeating and alcohol become regular escapes. 

What Happens Next 

Abrupt changes occur - When we run into problems at work, or issues at home change becomes mandatory. Something has to give. Then the overload problem has to be addressed. New schedules are created, and hours are reduced as a more normal pace is put into place. Problem solved for now. 

Trouble ahead - If you are still swimming through work overloads, you may believe better organization and more effort may help. But there are many risks. Your health may suddenly change. Your family may be impacted by the pressure. Or you may let go of much of the joy of life. When there's no time to just sit and talk with your kids, take walks with your dog, or go for bike rides on the weekend, days all look alike and nothing tastes quite as good. 

Time to Take Inventory 

If you can relate to these issues, you may want to sit down with your family and talk about what is going on. You may start by saying you are tired, and they may say they are tired of missing family outings and eating on the run. New schedules, shorter hours, and added free time may be the answer as you discover life can go on and get better.  

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Mt. Juliet, Tenn.