Making sure we can get to work each day is one of the fundamentals demanded by an employer.
If we are reliable, our managers can plan the day’s and week’s work with confidence.
To demonstrate this reliability, you also need to show resilience. Life will send health issues our way, whether it is a headache, back pain, IBS or mental health issues. Our employer has some responsibility to help keep us healthy. However, we should take seriously the preventative and curative methods we can use to manage these health issues.
Here we offer a guide to the common health problems you could face and some of the preventative measures you can take to keep yourself well.
The impact on our gut
Our stomach, colon and bowel are highly susceptible to conditions caused by our day to day life. Poor diet, limited exercise and high levels of stress can result in a host of ailments. At a basic level, we may feel sick each time we get emotional in the workplace. When the pressure gets too much, this feeling of nausea can become chronic. People with consistently high stress over a long period might also struggle with indigestion. While for most this can be mild, for others indigestion can develop into breathing problems, a sore throat and even balance issues.
IBS is also thought to be a result of our modern lifestyle choices. The constant pressure can cause an imbalance in our gut. IBS can result in cramping, abdominal pain, constipation, gas and diarrhoea. The impacts can be quite debilitating.
The prevention of each of these conditions is similar to one another. First, there may be trigger foods, particularly high fat, highly processed products. It would be much better to eat a lot of leafy green vegetables and fibre to help your gut process material efficiently. There are also lifestyle factors. We spend a lot of time scrunched up in a poor posture which does not support our gut. We would be much better to exercise regularly. A better diet and more exercise would also help combat the high levels of stress that are also seen as a contributory factor in IBS.
The impact on our mind
In many ways, our gut is playing out the challenges we face with our mental health. Increases in anxiety and depression might be a cause for concern – and a direct result of the heightened pace of life and pressure we feel. However, it could also be a consequence of our confidence to talk about these issues, and the rise in numbers should be seen as a positive. We are turning to each other for support when before we would have suffered alone.
However, there is no doubt that the amount of workplace burnout does seem a problem. To counter the impacts on our mental health, we have to demonstrate a lot of self-care. We should undertake to balance our work and our life. We should employ sleep hygiene, so we can recuperate overnight – and find time for relaxation and to engage with nature. The need to wind down and chill out is not an indulgence but an essential ingredient in our commitment to being reliable and resilient in the workplace.
The impact on our joints and muscles
Sitting down at a computer screen for hours on end is detrimental to our physical wellbeing. We were not designed to sit down for so long. First, we may feel eye strain from looking at the computer screen. We may feel tightness and soreness in the neck and shoulders from a poor posture at the computer screen. Then, we may find that our lower back begins to complain. We might slouch at our desk and not move for hours.
The combined impact on our body from poor ergonomic practices can lead to creaks, groans and genuine pain. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), for instance, can lead to numbness, tingling and pain in our hands. Therefore, we must employ appropriate health and safety measures to combat this. A proper chair, a wrist rest, a filter on our computer screen, as well as regular breaks, can all help manage the condition.
The one other way to prevent pulled muscle or muscle damage is using muscle percussion therapy. It can be used to boost muscle function, increase range of motion & blood circulation, relieving pain and speed recovery. You can use Exogun – best percussive therapy device, which will encourage your blood circulation and increase oxygen flow to targeted areas, which will help you to recover faster and enhance your performance.
