Many of us grew up hearing parents talk about “a job for life”. But these days, we hear more about jobs that take over people’s lives. This phenomenon is becoming commonplace, especially in parts of Asia where economic success is how people are being judged and measured. What’s worrying is that when work becomes one’s life, it can also end up taking it.
“Karoshi” or “guolaosi” are phrases in Japanese and Chinese respectively that have been coined to formalise the concept of death by overwork. Heart attacks and stroke, due to excessive overworking, have become a measured statistic in Japan, underlining that the threat of health problems from working too much is very real and needs to be taken seriously.
Dennis Hewitt, managing director of CareerExec International, finds that overworking has become so prevalent in offices that he has likened the risks of working in an office to that of a coalmine. “In offices, practices like understaffing and the increased stress placed on workers are unsafe and as unintentional as it is in a coalmine,” he says, pointing to the idea that many of us are working in “urban coalmines”.
MIND AND BODY
In general, problems occur when one engages in excessive amounts of work and stress, more than the body is capable of handling. Dr Wayne Lam, general practitioner at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital is quick to emphasise, however, that the stress one gets from overworking, is different from general stress.
“We all need a certain amount of pressure to motivate us to do our job well. Stress occurs when this pressure starts to become excessive and we feel like we cannot cope,” says Dr Lam. “However, if stress is prolonged or particularly intense, it can have an impact on our physical and mental health.”
Symptoms of overworking that one should take note of include an increased heart rate, lowered immunity to common colds, fatigue, loss of sleep, digestive problems, raised blood pressure, migraines, chest pains, and in more serious cases, fainting spells. Prolonged exposure to overwork can also lead to diseases such as asthma, high blood pressure, skin disorders and, in extreme cases, cancer.
Prolonged stress has also been linked to other illnesses. Chairman of the board of directors of the Singapore Heart Foundation and associate professor Terrance Chua says: “Stress, whether at work or at home, has been established as a risk factor for coronary heart disease… a largely preventable disease that is the result of lifestyle and dietary changes.”
Emotional changes also take place during periods of overworking. Dr Lam says that lowered self-esteem, strained relations with people, excessive worry, short temperedness, apathy, anxiety and depression are common symptoms that one may experience when facing periods of prolonged stress.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, Professor Albert Leung, associate director of the School of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, says that excessive emotions can lead to disorders in the body.
“Traditional Chinese medicine emphasises the balance of the relationship between the five major organs – the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and spleen,” says Leung. “These organs control and are controlled by emotions, and too much of one can upset the balance of the yin and the yang of the body.”
Intense emotions like grief, worry, anger and pensiveness – all usual suspects of overwork taking place – can cause disease on its corresponding organ, based on the Five-Element Chart, says Professor Leung, thereby exacerbating the situation.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Diet plays another major factor in affecting our bodily functions during periods of overwork, according to lifestyle consultant and nutritionist Evangelyne Joseph-Lorenzo. “People who cannot fight stress can engage in unhealthy behaviour such as smoking, excessive intake of alcohol and use of drugs. They also tend to make poor nutritional choices,” she notes.
We tend to turn to unhealthy, easily accessible food options like fast food, chips and biscuits, and caffeine-laden beverages like coffee and energy drinks to quickly satiate our hunger and give us an extra boost to go an extra lap while at work. These foods, while providing short bursts of energy, are not nutritious.
Joseph-Lorenzo warns: “Eating unhealthy foods and those with pesticides, colourants and preservatives are major dietary contributors to energy and fatigue problems, among other potential health risks.”
Such foods include those high in carbohydrates like pastries, soft drinks, sweetened coffee and fruit juices; foods high in saturated fats like meat with fatty parts, butter, margarine and foods high in trans fats like potato chips.
Professor Leung also observes that when the body is overworked, less energy is directed towards processing the food we eat, resulting in indigestion.
“If one must engage in intense amounts of work, it is advisable that we take food that can be easily digested and absorbed by the body,” says Professor Leung. He recommends a qing dan diet, which, to rough translate, refers to food that is “light and bland”.
“Try to cut down on meats and oily food as they are difficult to digest. Instead, try to eat more vegetables, tofu, fruit, soup or congee. They do not require as much energy for your body to digest and this minimises the incidence of indigestion,” Professor Leung advises.
Joseph-Lorenzo also advocates that healthy eating is paramount to maintaining healthy levels of energy. She says that whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta or whole-grain breads have essential vitamins like B vitamins and fibre, which can help in the healthy production of energy. Good sources of carbohydrates such as colourful fruits and vegetables have key ingredients and fibre, and quality proteins found in fish, lean meats and soy products help support the process of energy transference in our body.
Registered massage therapist and director of the Sutherland-Chan Centre, Jenny Harris advises on the importance of drinking enough water. “Too many people don’t drink enough fluids. They
just drink coffee so they get dehydrated, and they get headaches, then they take tablets to get rid of the headache, and they get even more dehydrated. It’s a vicious cycle,” she says. “Another benefit of drinking water is, if you drink enough water, you will have to get up, because you’ll have to go to the bathroom and at the same time, take a break.”
BREAKING THE HABIT
The experts recommend exercise as a mode of reducing stress. Joseph-Lorenzo says: “Exercise helps turn down the production of stress hormones.”
She recommends four 30-minute sessions a week for the effects to show. Dr Lam also agrees that exercise can help your body use up stress hormones. Furthermore, he points out that exercising creates endorphins – a hormone that creates a sense of wellbeing and can increase happiness.
“Exercise can help your muscles to relax and even a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day will combat stress,” he says.
Professor Leung also recommends the practice of taichi, a slow form of martial arts, to help preserve qi, or the energy flow that is required by our body to function. Taichi can instil calmness and prevent the loss of qi because of overworking.
He also suggests other treatments such as cupping – the practice of applying cups with reduced air pressure inside on the skin to help relieve muscle tension – acupuncture, and massage on accupoints to simulate and activate the qi movement in one’s body, which is believed to treat certain afflictions.
Harris cited research by the founder of TouchPro Institute David Palmer, regarded by some as the “father” of the contemporary massage chair, on the benefits of massage. “Even 15 minutes
of massage to the neck, back, arms and hands can increase circulation, returning energy levels and helping keep the body injury free.”
“Massage will make your muscles feel better and also calms the nervous system, which helps with stress release,” says Harris. “It can also help your joints, lymphatic and immune system. Studies have shown that massage can bring down blood pressure, so the physical effects are well documented.”
Headaches, low back pain, neck spasms, neck and shoulder pains and repetitive strain injuries are common afflictions of the deskbound. Harris and her team offer office-based Workplace Wellness programmes that teach simple exercises to help give that extra boost at the desk. She also emphasises the importance of good desk habits.
“Sit fully on the chair so you’re getting support on your back and your feet are nicely flat on the floor, do not hyper-extend or put your wrists in unnatural positions while typing,” says Harris. The top third of the screen, she adds, should be at eye level.
Quite simply, it’s about making it more comfortable for yourself. “If you’re in physical pain, you can’t think clearly, then your workload piles up on you. You then get more stressed and your body tenses up, making the physical pain worse,” she says.
Then, there are the psychological issues, which Dr Lam recommends addressing to ensure a clear mind at work.
“Talking to a friend or relative can help get your worries off your chest, give you fresh perspectives and more importantly, help make stressful situations more manageable,” says Dr Lam. He also recommends seeing a therapist if the stress is too much to bear, as trained experts can help one talk through psychological problems.
He also advocates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is available at general practitioner clinics. “CBT can help you challenge negative thought patterns and helps you react differently to events,” says Dr Lam, and this can help one potentially reduce the incidence of stress.
The threat of overworking is very real, considering the amount of our lives we dedicate to work. If left unchecked, the consequences are dire, so heed the warnings, and follow the above advice from our experts for a better life. After all, you only have one to live.
