FRAZZLED AT HOME AND WORK

Having a job may mean avoiding the stress that comes with unemployment, but it certainly doesn’t guarantee a stress-free existence. For many people, jobs and careers are the biggest source of stress. Concerns about job security, killer hours, long commutes, unrealistic deadlines, bosses from hell, office politics, toxic coworkers, and testy clients are just a few of the many job-related stresses people experience. Workloads are heavier today than they were in the past, leaving less and less time for family and the rest of your life.

            A new lexicon of work-related stresses also exists: downsizing, organizational redeployment, forced early retirement. Whatever the word, the effect is the same: insecurity, uncertainty, and fear. People are experiencing more stress at work than ever before, as these findings illustrate:

             A 2012 workplace survey carried out by Harris Interactive for the American Psychological Association found that two in five employed adults (41 percent) typically feel stressed out during the workday.

             In that same study, fewer than six in ten (58 percent) reported that they had the resources to manage stress effectively.

            About two-thirds (62 percent) of Americans cite work as one of their main sources of stress.

            The overall cost of job stress at work is estimated at $300 billion.

            One in four workers has taken a “mental health” day off from work to relieve stress.

            About a quarter (26 percent) of workers say they are “often” or “very often” burned out by their work.

After you leave work, you may start to realize that the rest of your life is not exactly stress-free. These days, life at home, our relationships, and the pressure of juggling everything else that has to be done only add to our stress level.

            Life at home has become more pressured and demanding. True, we now have microwaves, robotic vacuums, and take-out menus, but the effort and stress involved seem to be growing rather than lessening. Meals have to be prepared, the house tidied, the clothing cleaned, the bills paid, the chores completed, the shopping done, the lawn and garden tended, the car maintained and repaired, the phone calls and e-mails returned, the homework supervised, and the kids chauffeured. And that’s for starters. Did I mention the dog?