Do Our Jobs Make Us Ill?
I’m going through a health challenge right now. And it has given me time to think — especially about whether we make ourselves ill by working too hard, caring too much, multi-tasking, and refusing to pace ourselves. The answer isn’t an easy one. And I doubt that it is any different for men. But I know that just because you work hard doesn’t mean you cause yourself to be ill. Many illnesses are luck of the draw. Your number simply comes up.
Rather than blame ourselves, we should consider what’s best for us personally. We’re all individuals. Some of us can get by on fewer hours of sleep. Others are more organized and get more done in a day. Some of us are terrified by illness, others cope calmly. I think the important thing is to know yourself — to know your limits. If your job constantly pushes those limits, then it’s important to consider options.
Can you delegate more? Are there ways for you to succeed that don’t require constant working? Is it possible that you take on too many tasks, many of which contribute little or nothing to your advancement? How can you change that? Are you taking care of your health, getting appropriate screenings, and keeping informed so you can push yourself now and then without paying a big price?
These are only a few questions we should ask ourselves — and not only when we’re ill. Who are we trying to please? Is that the right person? And can we achieve what we want to in smarter rather than more physically or mentally demanding ways? This isn’t blaming, it’s applying common sense.
Worth a thought.
TAGS: health blame, health issues at work, ways to work healthy
I’m sorry you’re experiencing health challenges, Kathleen, and wish you all the best.
Last year I was interviewing folks who followed the principles in the book “Your Money or Your Life” to retire early–usually by their 40s, although some were even younger, and some had cut back to half time work. Several mentioned an unexpected benefit: they got sick much less often than in their working days. One woman told me that when she started to feel a cold coming on, she went to bed…and typically headed it off.
Of course, we’re all different, with different genetic inheritances, environments and challenges. But taking care of our health has got to be high on our priority list.
Comment by Liz Weston — March 10, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
Liz: There is a lot to be said for finding ways to make sure our jobs don’t eat us alive. I agree. It’s difficult to know where the line is. Ambition and achievement are admirable and often rewarding. But if you can’t go to the beach without work or spend your weekends and nights working, something is likely wrong. It might be that quantity of work has become confused with quality of work.
A lot of organizations encourage quantity over quality, though. And so people get sucked into thinking they have to be producing all the time — or appearing to be producing. We should consider spending some time on this topic. I’m game. Because few people achieve a balance that they can maintain. It’s a never-ending battle for a lot of people.
Comment by Dr. Kathleen Kelley Reardon — March 10, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
Kathleen — I know this is a subject you and I have discussed. Sometime I wonder if the cancer I was treated for in 2006 resulted from living life so “unconsciously.” Even now I remind myself that I need to make conscious choices that contribute to health — even if they don’t always make those around me happy.
Comment by Dr. Lois Frankel — March 10, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
Lois: I know the feeling and people often tell cancer patients, “You worked too hard,” “You never got enough rest,” or something like that. Maybe people said those kinds of things to you too. But that’s unfair. A lot of people work hard and don’t get cancer. Life takes some sharp curves sometimes and we can’t say each time that we brought it on. But, and I think this is what you’re saying, we can learn from illness. And having breast cancer at age 30, not having it diagnosed accurately until age 32, was a wake-up call for me. After that I went to the best doctors I could find and learned as much as I could about changing my lifestyle for the better. But rather than look at my busy career as contributing to cancer, I see it as a good part of what saved me. Because I loved it. And the people I worked with were so supportive as my students were too. All that caring made a difference. So did having a career I loved, even if there were rough times along the way. In that sense, my job contributed to me surviving. I know when you had cancer, you also had wonderful people around you at work too. And look how great you look and feel now!
I’d say our jobs can hurt our health but can also at times be just what we need to help us get well too.
Comment by Dr. Kathleen Kelley Reardon — March 11, 2008 @ 7:53 pm