The average person will spend up to a third of their entire life at work. When you look at it that way, it seems obvious that finding the right job is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make. But the stakes are even higher than you might think. The ways that your job can impact your life extend far beyond working hours. If you suffer from a significant level of work stress, the consequences can be devastating for your physical well-being, your mental health and even your relationships.
The body's physiological reactions to stress and the ways that anxiety and strain can affect our lives have been studied extensively. The findings are serious. Prolonged periods of stress can change the way your body heals itself, fights off disease, and deals with the effects of aging. The psychological effects of such prolonged periods are similarly sobering. One third of your life certainly qualifies as a "prolonged period", so tracking down the main contributors to work stress is a vital first step towards protecting yourself. A great deal of attention is paid to reducing visible health and safety risks in everyday work situations, but employers and employees alike are only beginning to understand the importance of reducing stress in the workplace.
Fighting back against the work stress epidemic starts with information, this infographic by GetVoIP looks at the studies and statistics behind this urgent problem. In this infographic, I've sketched out a clear picture of the major stress factors facing the American workforce and the severe implications they can have for your health and quality of life.
Source of Statistics:
http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/04/09/stressed-out-at-work-its-getting-worse-study-shows/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2014/04/18/survey-42-of-employees-have-changed-jobs-due-to-stress/
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/phwa-survey-summary.pdf
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5326-workplace-stress-solution.html
http://growth.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/26-04-11%20Middle%20Class%20Under%20Stress.pdf
http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/17/news/economy/poverty-income/
http://www.sarahjtracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Lutgen-Tracy-Alberts-Burned-by-bullying.pdf
http://time.com/9912/10-things-your-commute-does-to-your-body/
http://www.dailyworth.com/posts/2684-5-ways-commuting-is-ruining-your-health-and-your-life
http://www.thelocal.se/33966/20110524/
http://ideas.repec.org/p/zur/iewwpx/151.html
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/commutings-hidden-cost/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stress-dangers/
http://www.stresshacker.com/2010/11/when-stress-hurts-the-psychology-of-pain/
http://www.webmd.com/women/features/low-pain-threshold-heres-why
http://www.everydayhealth.com/asthma/how-stress-triggers-asthma.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2104758/
http://consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/digestive-health-14/digestion-health-news-200/stress-and-the-digestive-system-645906.html
http://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/