‘Stress kills’ often times sounds like a platitude. It’s heard so often that it seems meaningless. You say: “OK. I got it, but that’s the state of work and state of life these days.”
Well, I work for a company that does homeland security audits, specifically Critical Infrastructure Protection: Forensics, Assurance, Analytics. Talking about tension, I live it daily. And, I’ve got high blood pressure. I pay a lot of attention these days to work and job stressors. I think you should too.
Pay attention to the following risk indicators:
- Are you finding yourself restless and can’t relax?
- Do your wife, friends, or significant other worry about you?
- Do you get angry easily?
- Do you get tired or frustrated easily?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating?
- Are you putting on or losing a lot of weight?
- Have you lost interest in your usual recreational activities?
- Are you worried about things that you can’t control?
- Are you having trouble concentrating?
- Do you work long hours?
- Are you sleeping longer, almost escaping things that you have to do?
- Are you smoking or drinking more?
- Do you feel that you are out of control?
- Do you have destructive conversations with your boss, wife, kids, and other important folks in your life?
- Are you on meds?
Life Lesson Earned: Stress Kills. Period. Recognize it. Ask yourself the above questions. If you answered yes to 4 or more of the above questions, discuss the issues with your physician, partner, or counselor. Something is going on and it’s critical that you address the issues. Do it now!