Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are dealing with more anxiety, stress and depression. Studies have shown that mental health issues are on the rise. The American Psychological Association conducted a poll in March 2022 and the results weren’t surprising: Americans are stressed. Inflation, rising food and gas prices, ongoing concerns from the pandemic, supply chain issues, global uncertainty, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine – all of these are contributing factors to our alarming level of stress and anxiety. These factors are causing us all to be in what the APA calls "survival mode." We are just simply trying to make it through.
One of the most significant stressors in our lives is money. The survey found that stress about money is at its highest level since 2015. We worry about losing money we have invested or not having enough money for daily expenses. These economic pressures cause many of us to overcompensate at the office. Many pour themselves into work, feeling the need to spend more hours and energy in jobs to earn more or to be recognized for a promotion. The work stress then piles up on top of the other stress, and round and round we go.
Over the course of our lives, we'll spend more than 100,000 hours working. During those earning years, somewhere between a third and a fourth of our lives will be spent on the job. As many employers have transitioned to remote work or a hybrid policy, workers are spending even more time than they usually would be engaged in job tasks. We spend more than five hours a week checking work emails at home or during non-work hours. Basically, those lines between home and office have never been blurrier. To make matters worse, more than half of us don't use all our allotted vacation time. In general, we work way harder than we play.
One of the local municipalities near where I live has a kudzu problem in some areas. They could spray it with chemicals, I'm sure, but instead, town leaders decided this year to bring in goats. As you may know, goats eat just about anything. In a matter of a few days, much of the kudzu was consumed. Kudzu starts small, but in no time at all, this invasive vine takes over entire landscapes, covering trees from top to bottom. Once it starts, it's hard to contain it.
Similarly, if left unchecked, our jobs can consume our lives and send our stress levels through the roof. It doesn't have to be mental health awareness month (May) for us to take stock of our own mental health. If your job has started to creep into your home life, now is the time to be deliberate and keep it in check.
Here are a few questions to consider to find out if your job is consuming your life:
- Do you think about work a considerable amount when you are not at work?
- Do you dream about work problems or projects while you are sleeping?
- Do you constantly check and respond to work emails "after hours"?
- Do you find yourself distracted during family time because your mind is focused on upcoming work projects or deadlines?
- Is it hard for you to relax?
- Do you have trouble falling asleep because your mind is racing?
- Are you hesitant to take time off from work because you are afraid you'll miss something?
- When you do take a vacation, do you still check in with the office daily or answer calls or emails?
If you answered yes to several of these, work might be taking on an outsized role in your life. But, now what?
Much of our anxiety and propensity for overworking comes from our tendency to focus on what's going on around us. We are naturally drawn to the things that impact our daily lives. We have to intentionally redirect our minds to focus on the bigger picture. We have to train our minds to stress less about the daily grind and think more about the things that truly matter for eternity.
The Bible says that we are to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3: 1-2). The Apostle Paul also encourages us to spend our energy thinking on things that build us up and encourage us: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
Consider what Paul endured: he was persecuted, beaten to near death, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and snake-bitten. He suffered hunger, thirst, and homelessness. He had an unknown "thorn in the flesh" that he pleaded with God to remove. And yet, despite his earthly sufferings, he kept his eyes on Jesus. He could rejoice in his sufferings, knowing that "suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5: 3-5). Paul thought about the big picture more than the daily challenges. He knew that he would receive his crown in heaven one day and spend eternity with Jesus. Author Lee Strobel describes this as living with an eye on eternity. In his book called "The Case for Heaven" (and documentary that bears the same name), Strobel investigates the existence of heaven and how it should impact our lives here on earth.
"When you live with a daily eye on heaven, it radically changes our attitude towards the difficulties we will inevitably face in this world," Strobel says. "It gives us hope when all seems lost, it gives us courage when we are feeling cowardly and our perspective is transformed in a wide variety of ways."
Living with an eye on eternity reminds us how much God values us, it puts our suffering in perspective, and it fills us with the joy of anticipation, Strobel adds.
Work is a part of life. We were created to work. After all, Scripture also says, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (1 Thessalonians 3:10). But, God also designed us to require rest. In fact, He commands that we do so. We need rest, not only to rejuvenate us physically but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Is your job consuming your life? Take stock of your work-life balance today and ask God to help you refocus. Ask Him to help you live with an eye on eternity rather than the computer screen.
Brent Rinehart is a public relations practitioner and freelance writer. He blogs about the amazing things parenting teaches us about life, work, faith and more at www.apparentstuff.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @brentrinehart