Many Of Us Are Burned Out

Feeling stressed about work even when you’re at home with family and friends? You’ve got lots of company these days in recession-scarred America, where working more but having less seems to be the new way of life.

More than a third of U.S. employees (36%) say they're experiencing chronic work stress, according to this year's American Psychological Association survey.

And 32% of the survey's 1,546 respondents say they plan to seek employment elsewhere within the next year.

That’s right, a third of American workers are burned out, reports mediabistro.com.

Those who responded to the survey cited salary concerns, lack of opportunities for advancement, heavy workloads and long hours as sources of their job stress, according to David W. Ballard, who is head of the APA's Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program.

The program seeks ways to create healthy organizational cultures that support employee well-being and organizational performance.

Weighing Stress Types

Some stress is positive, according to the APA, releasing adrenaline that can enhance a person's performance and problem-solving ability.

But chronic stress, defined as constant and persisting over an extended period of time, can cause anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system.

Such stress puts people at risk for developing illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and depression.
“It's easy to get isolated, trudging to work every day,” says Ballard, who recommends building new skills and maintaining connections with friends and colleagues who can be sources of brighter career opportunities.

Try Coping Strategies

If too much work is the problem, cut down on your workload, for one thing, career expert Roberta Chinsky Matuson tells CNNMoney. Conversely, if you want a promotion, ask for extra work.

Actually, the key here is asking; don’t suffer in silence. Ask for a patient ear from a friend, for help from a co-worker, or for advice from your boss.

“It’s one thing to do the work of two people while a position is being re-staffed. It’s another to continue to take on two jobs for the rest of your working life,” Chinsky Matuson says.

“Let your boss know that you are drowning and ask for a life preserver to keep you afloat.”

Most Stressful Jobs

According to CNBC, they are real estate agent, advertising executive, public relations officer, highway patrol officer, commercial pilot, police officer, surgeon, taxi driver, corporate executive and firefighter.

Journalist was not among the top ones but, as anyone who worked in a newsroom would tell you, daily newspaper deadlines often were heart-stoppers, putting aside for a moment ugly office politics and occasional crazy readers.

So what to do about your situation? An advancement or exit strategy can counter chronic stress.

“Employees can boost their own morale because they realize that they are not helpless victims tied to a bad economy,” says Cheryl E. Palmer, president of Call to Career in Silver Spring, Md. “They are preparing themselves to embrace future opportunities when they become available.”

If a heavy workload seems to preclude efforts for accumulating skills and connections, perhaps it's time to be a little less of a perfectionist.

“Most times, if something is 80% done, it's ready to go. The extra 20% really won't make much of a difference,” says Chinsky Matuson, author of Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around.

“This philosophy will help you leave the office before 8 p.m. each evening,” she says, and it will free up time to prepare a move up – or out.

Still, you don't need an expert to tell you, the worst kind of stress is self-imposed, when you set the bar unreasonably high. As the old McDonald's commercial urged hungry viewers: You deserve a break today!

Ken Cocuzzo

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