Opinion

Wesley Giardini

Job Stability and Emotional Instability

        In my last blog I provided evidence that an unfavorable work environment can cause stress, and stress related anxiety and depression, as well as cardiovascular diseases. This time, I want to focus on something else that could possibly cause stress and emotional instability which is job stability. Can job stability be a cause of emotional instability and stress? I believe so. So many times I see people stressed out because of this very situation, especially now where it is hard to find a job, let alone the job you want.

     The movie up in the air depicts this emotional instability very well with a character played by Zach Galifianakis who is emotionally troubled after being laid off from his job.

     The fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally is not by coincidence. As I said, there can be many reasons for cardiovascular disease: genetics, bad diet, stress, and a number of other issues. It is my personal opinion that cardiovascular disease caused by stress is a very large portion of the cause for it. The stress of possibly losing your job can sometimes be overwhelming, and I believe it will just get worse, unfortunately.

     In my research I found that the use of antidepressants has increased almost 400% since 1988. This could be cause by many different reasons: a bad boss, working too many hours, or home life. I believe that it also could be cause by job stability, and not knowing if people will be able support their families. When you have chronic depression, it interferes with daily life. Not knowing if your job is secure and if your will be able to support your family can create a feeling of anxiety when going to work or even at home, which can also create a stress response, and after a while turn in to depression.

     One of the ways to combat stress is to “disconnect” from whatever is causing stress; meaning take a vacation. When people are afraid they are going to lose their job, sometimes they do not want to take that vacation, because they want to show that they are working hard. This in turn can cause them to get overworked and more stressed, and make their mental health symptoms worse.

     Being emotionally stable is a very hard task when things are changing all the time around you. The use of antidepressants is just a short term fix. For a more long term emotional stability, I believe we need to change our lifestyle as a whole. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and take more vacations from your job. When you are happier in your every day life, and do not make your job dictate how you live, it will not be such a disaster if God forbid the day comes when it is time to move on and find another path or career in life. Unfortunately for so many of us especially out here in California, this is not as easy as it sounds. This fast-paced lifestyle we have all come to know so well, the endless pursuit of all things money, and the undeniable truth that we live to work, will eventually end up being the very thing that kills us.