The impact of having a highly stressful job can be more harmful than you think. Job burnout is real, and it can negatively affect your health in countless ways. While there’s no medical diagnosis for the condition, the Mayo Clinic states job burnout “includes being worn out physically or emotionally. Job burnout also may involve feeling useless, powerless, and empty.”
An estimated 44% of people experience some sort of burnout in the workplace, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Another issue employees face is loneliness. A 2023 Meta-Gallup survey, reveals nearly one in four people worldwide, over one billion people “feel very or fairly lonely.” And it happens quite often at work.
“Since most of us spend the majority of the day at work, [loneliness] can be compounded by our experiences in the workplace,” Jeffrey Katzman, MD, Director of Education, Silver Hill Hospital tells Best Life. “Loneliness can feel like numbness, emptiness, sadness, anger – all from the experience of not being valued or feeling that we don’t belong.” He adds, “ We can feel alone from a number of factors at work, and we need to pay attention to these.”
It’s important to recognize when your job is taking a toll on your physical and mental well-being, so there are 12 signs to look for, per Dr. Katzman.
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1. Anxiety
ShutterstockThe root of anxiety caused by work can stem from many factors, including job security, working long hours, conflicts with co-workers and more, but it’s an indication your job is hurting your health. “If we worry about not belonging or feel that we just can’t get ourselves noticed or valued at work – our self esteem and sense of belonging suffer,” Dr. Katzman says. “And we then can begin to suffer from all of the psychological and physical manifestations of chronic and surges of anxiety.”
2. Prolonged Sitting or Not Enough Movement
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When you’re caught up in trying to make a deadline or have back to back meetings, it’s easy to forget to stand up and move around, but it’s dangerous to sit for so long because being stagnant can lead to serious health issues such as “obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and unhealthy cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome,” per the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Katzman adds, “Movement at work is critical. Making time for walks at work might lead us to unexpected encounters and pleasing connections with others. If we conduct ‘walking meetings,’ we can get work done, build connections, and take care of our health all at the same time!”
3. You Don’t Have a Close Friend at Work
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Another sign that your job is impacting your health is not having a co-worker who you’re friends with, says Dr. Katzman. “This is among the most important factors of feeling engaged in the workplace,” he states. “When we don’t feel that we have a close friend at work, we feel more alone and estranged from our environment during the day.”
4. You Get Angry More Easily at Close Family and Friends
ShutterstockA negative work environment doesn’t always just cause you stress, but it can affect our close relationships. “When our patience is thin with the people we care about the most, we need to wonder if we are being impacted by stressors at work,” Dr. Katzman tells us. “When stress at work impacts our ability to connect with those close to us, our sense of disconnection grows.”
5. Insomnia
iStockIf you’re having trouble sleeping, it could be because of work. Getting 7-8 hour sleep is recommended, Dr. Katzman explains, but “if we are lonely, not exercising, working into the night, worrying in the middle of the night ... .this is hard to accomplish.”
6. Your Work Isn’t Valued
ShutterstockAt work, we want to feel like we’re contributing in a positive manner and making a difference, but feeling undervalued has health consequences. “If an individual doesn’t feel that their work is valued by their organization, they can feel marginalized and lose the sense of excitement about the mission,” per Dr. Katzman. “This can further contribute to a sense of isolation at work.”
7. GI Troubles
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It’s always important to listen to what your gut is saying, even at the workplace. Job stress can trigger GI issues. Dr. Katzman says, “Emerging evidence continues to show a growing understanding of the relationship between gut health and psychological well-being. There are even studies now demonstrating the relationship between a sense of isolation and decreased diversity of gut bacteria – a threat to our GI and psychological well-being.”
8. Your Work Doesn’t Have a Place to Hang Out
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According to Dr. Katzman, not having a communal space at work to hang out can impact your health. “If there is not a common place to gather in the workplace, the sense of ‘esprit de corps’ can really suffer. Individuals miss the opportunity for regular connections, say in a lunchroom or similar place to gather.”
9. Commuting a Long Distance
ShutterstockSometimes we have no choice but to commute, but it can turn unhealthy. “Studies on this subject demonstrate that long commutes can threaten our ability to balance our lives with exercise and pursue connections out of work,” says Dr. Katzman. “Not to mention the impact of sitting for extended periods of time.”
10. You Don’t Feel Like You Belong
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Being part of an inclusive work environment is vital for productivity and mental well-being. “If you aren’t valued by your team, or your supervisor, this enduring sense that you don’t really belong becomes hazardous to your health,” Dr. Katzman explains.
11. Working After Hours
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It’s reasonable to think that working after hours will help you get more done, but survey data from Slack’s Workplace Lab shows otherwise. “Employees who log off at the end of the workday register 20% higher productivity scores than those who feel obligated to work after hours,” the study finds.
In addition, “excessive work obligations can be a red flag – it’s a sign that work has begun to encroach on our ability to sustain important relationships and activities outside the workplace,” according to Dr. Katzman.
12. You Are Surrounded by Closed Doors
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Having a closed door meeting at work is absolutely acceptable and often called for to discuss sensitive topics, but when you’re constantly around doors that shut in the office, it’s not a healthy space, says Dr. Katzman. “If every door in a hallway is closed, and there is no place to hang out, we wind up alone in our offices. It doesn’t take rocket science to realize how this might threaten a sense of belonging.”
