When the American Heart Association (AHA) provides guidelines for lifestyle modifications to support a healthier heart, things like exercise, a healthy diet, and quitting smoking comes to mind. But what about quitting a stressful job?

Job burnout has been on the rise for the past few years. Stressful jobs hurt individuals’ mental health, but they may also negatively affect heart health.

How? According to a 2017 study in PLOS ONE, burnout is related to health problems like coronary artery disease, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and more. What’s more, people who are under constant stress are much more likely to partake in unhealthy behaviors like drinking too much, eating too much, and vegging on the couch rather than being active.

An article by the AHA noted that the pandemic seems to have increased job burnout in the U.S. “A 2021 survey by Indeed.com found 52 percent of workers said they were experiencing burnout, 9 percentage points higher than pre-pandemic,” the article stated. “Two-thirds of all respondents said the pandemic increased burnout.”

How to remedy the situation if quitting one’s job isn’t possible? Practicing good stress reduction methods like walks outside, journaling, spending time with loved ones, spending time on one’s hobby, and concentrating on adding positive things to one’s daily life are all important. At work, individuals may want to schedule a time to address the biggest areas of stress with their manager, ask to reduce their workloads, change their schedules, or request to be moved to a less stressful position if necessary.

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