How to Spot Overworked Symptoms and Treat Causes

Since 1950, the productivity level across the globe has increased by more than 400%. This isn't a problem for the companies you work for, but it is for those who work there that are showing overworked symptoms.

More and more people are finding themselves not only overworked but also overstressed because they're overworked. If you're not sure if you're exhibiting signs of being overworked, you've come to the right place.

Below you're going to find some signs of being overworked as well as some ways you can start recovering from being overworked.

Losing It

One of the first signs that you're overworked is losing your temper towards people that have done nothing to you. It can be something as simple as the waiter forgetting to refill your drink or your child leaving their dirty clothes in the bathroom again.

In hindsight, it's not anything worth being upset about, but because you're overworked and stressed, it's huge. In a split second, you've lost your temper and taken it out on the closest person to you before you even know what's happened.

You don't lose your temper at work because you know there are consequences if you were to go off on your boss. Therefore, you take it out during situations where there is no backlash for letting your temper loose.

Putting Work Off 

Another sign of being overworked is putting things off until the last minute. This usually occurs when you've done so much work that you can't bear to do anything else.

Instead, of taking care of some paperwork at the beginning of the week, you put it off until the deadlines loom over your head. Procrastination can also occur when you've been reprimanded for previous work you've done.

Doing work that will be scrutinized by those that are over you can be challenging and can cause you to feel negative about the work you do. Therefore, instead of completing more work, you continue to put it off because you're scared that your work will not be up to par.

The fear of disappointing your bosses can increase your stress when it comes to job performance.

Inability to Relax

When you're at work, you're trained to handle anything that comes your way. In your training manual, it's known as crisis management. You learn to respond to situations, minimizing the likelihood of upper-level staff having to step in and correct the situation.

Many people find themselves in a heightened state of always being ready to respond to things when at work and not turning that mindset off outside of work. Staying in this mindset long-term makes it harder for people to relax.

Relaxing is the best way to release the tension that builds in your body from work stress. You'll find that, when you're able to relax, it better prepares you to return to work the next day and complete the job you're tasked with.

Feeling Like You've Run Out of Time

Are you glancing at the clock every day, wondering how you're going to accomplish everything you need to get done before time runs out? It's common that, in most jobs, you're not doing the work of one person, but the job of multiple.

Although, the people that employ you understand you're doing the job of several people, it doesn't keep them from asking you to continue taking on the same amount of work every day. Because you've got the course load of an entire team, one of the most common signs of being overworked is having this feeling.

No matter what you do, you can never escape this feeling, and it can increase as you get closer to work deadlines that you must meet.

Laundry List of Things to Do

On top of looking at the clock and running out of time to complete your work, another sign of being overworked is having a long list of things to do. Even when you continue to cross things off your list, it never seems to get any shorter.

In fact, whenever you look at your list, it seems as if something else has fallen onto your plate to do. While you created a list to help you remain organized in your work at the beginning of the day, it never seems to help.

Decline in Health

You might be reading this thinking there's no way your health can decline due to being overworked. We're here to tell you that's not true.

Being overworked constantly can cause you to lose sleep. Or cause you to suffer from insomnia because of the stress you're experiencing at work.

Not only that, but if you're someone who finds comfort in food, it can cause you to experience an increase in your weight because you're turning to food for comfort.

Dangers of Overwork

We've discussed some of the signs that you're overworked; now we're going to detail the reason that overworking is dangerous. Some of these dangers you might have known already.

While there are others you've not even thought were possible.

Taking Medication 

Some people can't make it through a workday without taking some kind of medication. When you take medication to make it through the day, this could have dire consequences.

What might start as innocently taking medication can turn into dependence on that substance. You'll find that without taking medication, you feel worse and are unable to focus on your work.

Unknown Aches and Pains

As we mentioned earlier, constant stress and overwork of the body can lead to aches and pains. Without warning, you'll get ready for work and begin to feel a nagging pain in your back without being able to remember what you did that caused the pain.

As time continues feeling this pain will become a normal part of your everyday routine and something you live with. No one should have to deal with pain every day that's caused by overwork at their jobs.

Increased Fatigue

On days when you're not at work, are you tired? How is it possible that you can still be tired on days that you're supposed to have off?

The reason is that your body is doing its best to restore itself from the massive overwork that you've done and continue to do. No matter how many days you have off, you'll continue to think about work and never fully allow your body to get the rest and recovery that it needs.

Continuous fatigue can lead to you spending more time sleeping than participating in things you once enjoyed doing.

Elevated Blood Pressure

Blood pressure that spikes now and then is nothing to be concerned about, but blood pressure that remains elevated is cause for concern. When you see your doctor, they will advise you to do what it takes to decrease your blood pressure because it can lead to things like:

• Weakened arteries
• Kidney failure
• Loss of vision 
• Stroke

These are just a few of the consequences that can occur when your blood pressure remains elevated and goes untreated. If you're experiencing overwork regularly, it could be putting your health in danger.

How to Overcome Being Overworked

With all the information provided above, you're looking for ways to deal with being overworked by now. The main way to overcome being overworked would be to find a job that cares about its employees and understands that balance is truly needed to ensure an effective work environment.

However, we understand that this isn't always the case, and that's precisely why we're going to provide you with tips for avoiding overwork and dealing with it if it's currently happening.

Take a Vacation

The first thing we recommend you doing is taking some time off from work. There's nothing better than giving yourself time to relax and recuperate from the work that you've been doing every week.

40% of people will take at least one vacation each year, and if you asked them, we're sure they would tell you that they would enjoy taking more. Vacations give you a chance to forget the work you have to do and completely take your mind off things. 

When you get back to work, you'll be re-energized and able to dedicate more focus to the things you need to concentrate on.

Prioritize Your Work

Earlier, we discussed the list of things that never seem to end when you're at work. The best thing to do is prioritize the list of things you've got to do.

We recommend that things with a closer deadline or that will require the most work should be at the top of your list. The reason you want to put these things at the top of your list is that you can ensure you'll have the energy to tackle them at the beginning of the day.

Things that aren't as important or aren't due for a while can fall to the bottom of the list. It's also useful if you create a to-do list for different days.

Rather than having everything on one list and it being overwhelming, determine which days you're going to work on each project. Not only will it help you manage your time better, but it will also reduce the stress you have when you look at your list of things to do.

Take It One at a Time

When we know that we have multiple things to get done, the only logical thing to do is work on them at once, right? Wrong. While multitasking seems to be a great idea, it can increase the number of mistakes you make when doing your work.

It also creates a hectic and stressful atmosphere for those that are doing the work. We recommend taking things one at a time. This way, you can dedicate your focus to one task instead of spreading it over various tasks.

Trust us; your boss will be much happier with a project you put your all into versus a project that you did halfway.

Give Work to Others

Instead of taking on all the work yourself, find time to delegate tasks to other people. In a work atmosphere, you're likely going to have teammates working on the same project as you.

Don't decide to do everything on your own when there are people there that can help you. Before the project begins, review what needs to be done and split the tasks evenly amongst team members.

Each person will be responsible for a small part that will, in the end, make up the entire project. This increases project efficiency and reduces the amount of time it takes to complete a project.

Turn Off Work Notifications

When you're at work, your email and texts will start going off from the second you're in the building. It could be need-to-know information or simple emails that don't necessarily need a response.

We recommend while you're working to turn off the notification sound of your emails and texts. The reason for this is hearing those notifications can be overwhelming and distracting.

Instead of focusing on your work, you'll be busy scrolling through your email and reading through the daily newsletter, contributing to your procrastination. When you're taking a break, you can then open your email and see if there's anything you missed while you were completing your work.

Overworked Symptoms: Things to Know

If you feel like you're overworked, there are several overworked symptoms that you need to know about. If you've ever left work and lost your temper on someone without warning, that's one sign you're overworked.

Or if you're tired even on the days you have off; this is another sign. If your doctor prescribed you medication to help combat your high blood pressure caused by being overworked, contact Pricepro Pharmacy for your refill needs.

Work Cited

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