Chronic Stress
Chronic stress may also have the following long-term effects on workers:
Musculoskeletal disorders: Prolonged tension often results in back pain, shoulder strain, and frequent muscle tightness.
- Example: A data entry worker under pressure to meet strict deadlines types for long hours without breaks, leading to wrist and shoulder pain.
- Example: A grocery store clerk who stands for long periods without proper footwear starts experiencing chronic lower back pain.
Job dissatisfaction: Feeling unhappy, unmotivated, or disengaged with daily tasks and responsibilities is common when under chronic stress. There is a general loss of enthusiasm for work, leading to reduced teamwork, cooperation, and overall job performance.
- Example: An office assistant starts feeling disconnected from the team and avoids work-related conversations after months of feeling undervalued and ignored.
- Example: A retail cashier begins arriving late and avoiding extra tasks after repeated negative feedback from supervisors.
Workplace Injury: Stressful working conditions may interfere with safe work practices and increase the risk of injury.
- Example: A warehouse employee rushing to meet unrealistic quotas skips proper lifting techniques and strains their back.
- Example: A line cook overwhelmed during busy hours accidentally cuts their hand while hurrying through food prep.
Sleep disturbances: Stress often interferes with rest, leading to insomnia, restless nights, and daytime fatigue. Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up still feeling tired due to racing thoughts or worry.
- Example: A project manager wakes up multiple times during the night worrying about deadlines and feels drained at work the next day.
- Example: A call center employee stays up late replaying conversations with upset customers, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Headaches and migraines: Persistent stress can trigger tension headaches or worsen migraine conditions that occur during or after work hours.
- Example: A graphic designer working under high pressure gets frequent migraines that start by mid-afternoon and affect their ability to finish projects.
- Example: A school teacher experiencing tension from large class sizes and tight schedules develops daily headaches after lunch.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-4. Which physical condition is linked to musculoskeletal disorders caused by chronic stress?
You forgot to answer the question!