Dr Zac Turner on four signs you really hate your job

Dr Zac Turner explains why staying in a job that makes you unhappy will do your health more harm than good.

Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner talks about the health effects associated with staying in a job you hate.

Question: Hi Dr Zac, I’m a mess right now, and I need your help to clean myself up. I’m going through a crisis at the age of 31. It feels like I’m at a crossroads waiting to take the right turn. I’m trying to piece together where this confusion is coming from, and I keep coming back to one thing – my job.

Working full-time in an office just isn’t what I want to do in life, and I think by quitting and trying something new I will be happier. My question to you is, are there ways to figure out if it’s my job that is causing me this stress? How do I know I’m not just going through the motions and projecting blame onto my job? – Sandy, 31, Sydney

How do you know the stress you are feeling in your life is down to your job or choice of career? Picture: iStock

Answer: I appreciate you have come for help during this time of personal crisis. Often, people will hide their true feelings when it comes to their employment situation because there’s a stigma attached to being unemployed.

As we’ve all read about in recent times, the Great Resignation is slowly breaking down this stigma as young people decide to focus more on life than their career.

We shy away from saying our job makes us unhappy because we are more afraid of not having a job. I’m here to say if you truly feel this job is causing you great distress and you are financially able to, leave it! One of the best pieces of advice I ever received at a young age was this: “You are replaceable.”

You should never put the weight of the world on your shoulders and think you must work this job because your colleagues and company depend on you.

If you have the desire to leave, just do it!

If you aren’t financially able to do that, then start putting plans in place to find a new job.

Your happiness, health and wellbeing is the most important thing.

Working in a job you hate can affect your health. Picture: iStock

You need to understand that continuing to work in a job you hate has serious, debilitating ramifications for your health. In my opinion, the job you hate is just as unhealthy as a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey.

If you hate your job, you will likely have many sleepless nights from work-related anxiety.

As I’ve stated in a previous column, not having enough sleep has serious effects on the body. Your risk for obesity and heart disease skyrocket.

When you hate your job, you’ll subconsciously connect your workplace with a place to be on high alert, almost like a danger zone. It was a useful mechanism when we were cavemen, but now it will leave you with chronic tension in your neck, shoulders and head. This leads to chronic pain in these areas, and persistent headaches.

If you are hate your job, you will start seeing your workplace as a danger zone. Picture: iStock

The stress from hating your job causes a whole list of problems for your body. Stress causes stomach problems such as indigestion and constipation, it leads to poor mental health and it can even decrease your libido!

Now that you know the effect of hating your job on your body, let’s go through the signs you actually do hate your job:

• You become the Grinch every morning. Being miserable every morning and dreading your day is a clear sign you hate your job. If you feel happy on weekend mornings, you can decipher it is your job causing this stress.

• Every night before work you become anxious about the next day. If you find yourself obsessively thinking about what you need to do the next day, you should reconsider if your job is beneficial to your health.

• Your concentration is lacking at work. If you find yourself procrastinating on the clock, you should recognise you are hiding away from your responsibilities.

• Off the clock, you are picking up bad habits. Some people will binge drink, take illicit substances and smoke cigarettes to help with the stress of hating their job.

Got a question? Email [e-mail]

Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is both a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was also a registered nurse and is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist along with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering.

Originally published as Dr Zac Turner on four signs you really hate your job