When Work Starts to Cost You Your Health
There was a time when Sunday evening felt like the start of a new week. Now, it can feel like a countdown.
You might be working from home, with no commute and no office to walk into, yet Monday morning still brings a knot in your stomach. You feel tense before the laptop is even open. The thought of speaking to a particular person, joining a meeting or simply getting through the day fills you with dread. Your shoulders tighten. Your stomach turns. You feel unwell, and you cannot quite explain why.
Perhaps your body is telling you something you have been trying to ignore.
A difficult week happens to everyone. A demanding project or a disagreement at work does not necessarily mean it is time to leave. But when the stress becomes part of your everyday life, it is worth paying attention. You may notice that you feel worse during the working week and better on holiday or outside working hours. The things that used to bring you joy begin to fade because your mind keeps returning to work, and to the next time you will have to face it.
That can be a lonely place to be. You might tell yourself to be grateful you have a job, to toughen up or to wait until things improve. You may worry that leaving means you have failed, or that the next role could be just as bad. Those fears are understandable. But staying in a situation that is affecting your mental and physical health also has a cost.
You do not have to wait until you reach breaking point to consider a change.
Start by noticing what is happening. When do you feel most anxious? Is it linked to a particular person, task, workload or the wider culture? Do you recover when you are away from work, or does the worry follow you into evenings and weekends? Writing down what you notice can help you see whether this is a rough patch or a pattern.
If it feels safe and realistic, consider what could change where you are. A conversation with your manager, clearer boundaries, adjusted responsibilities, support from HR or a change of team may help. You could also speak with someone you trust, a GP, counsellor or another appropriate professional, especially if the stress is affecting your health. You deserve support while you work out what comes next.
And if the environment itself is the problem, it is all right to explore leaving. You can update your CV, look at other roles, ask about flexible working or make a practical plan before handing in your notice. A change does not have to happen overnight. Even taking one small step can help you feel less trapped.
Leaving a job is not always simple, and a new role cannot promise a stress-free life. But your health matters more than proving you can endure a situation that is wearing you down. Work should take effort; it should not leave you dreading every conversation, feeling ill each Monday or losing the parts of life that make you feel like yourself.
This week, take one concrete step: write down what work is doing to your wellbeing, then tell one trusted person what you have been experiencing. You do not need to decide everything today. You only need to take your feelings seriously and begin exploring what a healthier next step could look like.
If work is affecting your wellbeing and you are unsure what to do next, you do not have to figure it out alone. As a career coach, I can help you make sense of what is happening, explore your options and plan a next step that feels right for you. You deserve work that supports your wellbeing as well as your ambitions. Get in touch to talk through what a healthier, more fulfilling working life could look like.