Your Body Is Probably Rejecting Your Job If 8 Things Start Happening On Work Days
MAYA LAB | ShutterstockIt can feel grim, but for most people, earning a living is a necessary part of life. However, no matter your views on work, we can all agree that there are simply times when the job itself just isn't cutting it anymore. Feeling stuck in a job you don't like doesn't just impact your mood and emotions. Your physical body is often affected as well.
In a recent TikTok post, Cliff, a nurse, asked viewers to comment on the times when their body pumped the brakes and simply rejected the prospect of showing up for the workday. There are plain and simple symptoms we've all had, like a headache or irritability. Cliff didn't want those symptoms.
He asked for examples that were "feral," meaning he wanted extreme examples of how the body revolted at the mere thought of going to work. The results were admittedly frightening. Be that as it may, they tell a lot about when the body knows it's time to call it quits.
Your body is probably rejecting your job if 8 things start happening on work days:
1. You get an upset stomach
This isn't your typical bug-related stomach issue. Many people commented on Cliff's post that their perceived illness was the result of stress and anxiety, both being on the job and the mere thought of going. This is like Sunday scaries except much more extreme.
One worker wrote, "legit would throw up when i got to work" and dozens of others echoed the same sentiment with a host of other stomach issues.
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This phenomenon is backed by science on the feedback loop between the brain and gut. According to an article from Harvard Health Publishing, "psychosocial factors influence the actual physiology of the gut, as well as symptoms. In other words, stress (or depression or other psychological factors) can affect movement and contractions of the GI tract."
Without concerted effort to lower stress levels, those gut issues are going to keep flaring up. That means even the thought of going to work could make you sick to your stomach.
2. You constantly feel anxious and panicky
Stress is just part of daily life as an adult, but an overwhelming number of workers lamented that they felt extreme anxiety and even experienced panic attacks while on the job. That's the body literally revolting at the idea of being in the office for even a moment.
One disgruntled employee said, "I would have panic attacks every time I sat at my desk. like just the act of being at my desk without even working had me hyperventilating and breaking down crying."
Being extremely on edge at all times can be highly detrimental to health and well-being.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "panic attacks may come on suddenly, and without warning at first, but over time, they're usually triggered by certain situations." A toxic workplace could undoubtedly be a cause for that kind of sudden attack.
Many people perceive panic attacks as something that is random or a result of being a sensitive person, when that's just not the case. That intense feeling of dread and being unable to escape is traumatizing, and it's often the result of repeated exposure to something that brings about those feelings. While a job isn't the same as being chased by a tiger, that's just how our brains are wired if the feeling's the same.
3. You break out in hives
This one feels acutely troublesome. As one worker wrote, "I had hives every single day. EVERY SINGLE DAY! shots and medications reduced it but hives and itching every day!"
Breaking out in hives is as alarming as it is uncomfortable. Feeling the need to itch and appearing bumpy all over while trying to remain composed and professional is impossible. Your body is rejecting what you are forcing it to do, day in and day out.
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According to dermatologist Dr. Tan Hiok Hee, during heightened periods of stress, the body releases both the stress chemical cortisol and the allergy chemical histamine. This chemical makes the skin more reactive to stressful situations. However, Dr. Hee goes on to say they can be managed by managing stress and being patient with the healing process. A job is simply not worth feeling itchy and gross all the time.
4. You show up full of rage
Everyone has moments of frustration at work. It's natural, but serious rage that feels almost uncontrollable is not normal. Some workers said the feeling would overcome them as soon as they walked into the building. One person even said, "NON STOP anger, literally everything pissed me off, even things that I loved doing." It's out of the ordinary to be so angry all the time, especially from one singular source.
Psychologist Charles Spielberger, who specializes in the study of anger, explained that anger is an emotion that generally varies in degrees of intensity. However, chances are, if you're always in a state of extreme anger, you're likely aware of it being an issue because it inevitably starts to affect all areas of your life. Much like panic, anger's symptoms are physiological.
5. Your heart is always racing
Perhaps this would mean something different for jobs that require constant physical activity. However, an enormous number of people confessed that their heart rates were consistently alarmingly high throughout their day on the job.
One person even described that they had, "a racing heart rate like I was actively being hunted for sport — every weekday morning — the second I woke up." Many stated that they also experienced heart palpitations from such irregularity. One worker noted, "I developed heart palpitations with zero issues before working there."
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Clinical social worker Lara Schuster Effland at the Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center stated that many clients come in complaining about a racing heart and heart palpitations disrupting their day-to-day. Given that the sensation can feel like a heart attack sometimes, it can be highly distressing to experience and exacerbate other anxiety symptoms.
Interestingly, Effland said that isolated heart palpitations from stress and anxiety are not harmful physically. It is, however, a way of the body trying to communicate that it's under way too much stress.
6. You cry uncontrollably
Even if some of us try to avoid it, we can all agree that crying can be an effective way to release built-up inner tension from experiencing negative emotions. Sadly, many workers who commented on Cliff's post said that they were crying uncontrollably and inconsolably to and from work and even at work. One employee said, "Crying on the way. Crying in the parking lot. Crying in the bathroom. I took a job for the exact same pay just to get out of there."
According to Family Medicine practitioner, Dr. Robert P. Olson with Orlando Health, "No guidelines exist that determine how much people should or should not cry." However, he went on to say that if you're crying uncontrollably or it's interfering with other aspects of your life, it might be an underlying sign of something much deeper, such as depression or anxiety.
The bottom line, crying a lot is the body's way of reacting to something that's strongly affecting you to the point of probably needing to get away from the source.
7. Your eyes twitch
The eyes are the window to the soul, and if they are revolting against being at work, maybe that's your soul's way of telling you it's time for a career change.
One worker shared, "my eye twitched (vibrated) for FOUR MONTHS non stop." How is this even possible?
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According to Rivertown Eye Care, eye twitching is linked to chronic fatigue and stress. When the muscles in the eye start to spasm, it can be extremely annoying and hinder work performance. While it's mostly harmless physically, treatment involves, you guessed it, managing the body's overall stress.
8. You're experiencing memory loss
Last but certainly not least, there were people who said that they experienced memory loss as a result of the amount of stress they were under at their jobs. One person shared, "I was so depressed, I started losing my memory."
According to mental health and addictions writer Will Hinch, when it comes to depression, "the persistent low mood and chronic stress associated with this condition, can affect our brain’s structure and function. This can lead to problems with memory." He went on to say that brain fog is a major symptom of depression, as depression can mess with the brain's ability to organize thoughts and make decisions. It's absolutely possible that one's job can be causing memory loss if it's also exacerbating a state of depression.
Working is hard, and we're never going to enjoy our jobs all of the time. But if your body is rejecting your job, it might be time to call it quits. To put it bluntly, it just might be what your body needs to avoid a complete breakdown.
Luke Aliga is a writer with a degree in Technical Writing and Communication who covers relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
