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Jess Lee
Jess Lee

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Has your job impacted your physical health?

My main woes are wrist pain and strained eyes!

Latest comments (32)

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s0bacc profile image
S0bacc

Unfortunately, it influenced. You know, I spend too much time on my job and it definitely does harm. However, I don't give up because I have money for remedies and I can have manufacturer actavis coupon which will give me an opportunity to save my money

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scottishross profile image
Ross Henderson

Mental health is definitely important. At one of my previous jobs, I had to stop doing overtime every day (to the chagrin of my manager), I actually took sick time when I needed it and used holiday when I wanted it, not when it was convenient for them (obviously being at least courteous towards releases and not taking the mick).

Nowadays it's the weight I struggle with. I also broke my leg at the start of last year and I'm still trying to bounce back from that. I've gained a few stone over the last year even though my diet is fairly acceptable.

I would like workplaces, especially those that have sedentary jobs like ours, to really promote activity and allow time to go to the gym/run/bike or whatever, as it would be beneficial to them as a company too.

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diek profile image
diek

Yes, I won almost 20kg since I work in a desk :(

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vaheqelyan profile image
Vahe

You just need to train your lower back and glute muscles.

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ctrlsquid profile image
zach

I worked at a company for most of 2019 that would consistently work me > 70 hour works. My mental health diminished. I was angry and agitated all the time, to the dismay of everyone who came into contact with me.
In addition, my physical health diminished. I started eating foods that were more convenient, staying up later, and generally not exercising.

I learned from this experience, that you can't be successful if you're not taking care of yourself first. That applies to your professional and personal life.

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nitya profile image
Nitya Narasimhan, Ph.D

God, yes! Absolutely.

That eye strain is real.
As is the digital addiction and attention fragmentation (less focused work, more multi-tasking)

I also deal constantly with weight issues, anxiety and stress as a result of work hours, travel and routines that don't necessarily create clear boundaries or healthy habits. All of these are things that can be fixed with mindfulness, self-care and discipline. And on paper that sounds easy. But when you juggle work, parenting, home and a dozen other responsibilities, it gets harder to find the time to plan and execute these in an intentional way.

Two things that help:

  • Forgive yourself when you fail. Try. Try again. My superpower is I never give up on myself.
  • Find good support systems to help you stay the course. My support system is family.

The thing I am working most on is self-care. We live in a workaholic culture where peer pressure can be strong and it takes a lot of willpower and self-esteem to be okay with making choices that are right for you. Still very much a WIP for me so if others have tips, I'm here to listen.

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aritdeveloper profile image
Arit Developer

I felt this ... all the way ❀️

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matborowiak profile image
Mat Borowiak
  1. Sciatica
  2. Ocasional neckpains
  3. Headaches after long intensive days
  4. ... still to find out.
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wolfhoundjesse profile image
Jesse M. Holmes

First, I sit too much now, and it's been taking a toll. I've not been able to get a proper standing desk from work, and I never think to just put it in my wish farm, save up, and get the one I want since I work from home most days. Actually, I'm going to pause and do that now.

Done! I'm looking at this 47" converter from FlexiSpot.

Sitting kills us. Your bottom isn't actually a load-bearing surface, so it's an unnatural position for the body to be in. Since reading Becoming a Supple Leopard, I'm convinced that the reason people start complaining about getting old and feeling lower back pain, sciatic pain, numbness, etc. is because we spend so much of our lives sitting that it seems natural. Your hip flexors become shorter and begin to constantly pull on your lower back and a dozen other places, inflammation becomes an issues, and generally, life begins to suck until some day you are elderly and unable to stand upright. </ soapbox>

I start feeling better after a few weeks of consistent work at the gym, and the issue wasn't really present when I had the standing desk.

Second, I've developed some fairly rounded shoulders in the past year. It's manageable/correctable with face pulls in the gym or the resistance bands I keep at my desk, but I'm inconsistent. It's funny to me that the same condition can come from being that person that only goes to the gym to show off a big bench press without working the opposing muscles or just sitting hunched at a keyboard. There are some wearables that remind you about your posture, but I haven't tried them. Let me know if you're into this, because I'd love to hear about your experience!

I can't put all the blame on the job, of course. I haven't been working out consistently since leaving the Army almost a year ago. You become the people you surround yourself with, and I lost my fitness support network when I left. I need to link up with the folks at TeamRWB. I joined over a year ago, but I haven't made it to a single meetup. With ADHD, out of sight, out of mind is more real than ever.

Lastly, @jess , I had some pretty bad wrist pain until I bought these two things:

If I could find a mechanical/customizable keyboard with this shape, my day would be made. Also, I have the wired version of this trackball for secure facilities, and I think my wireless is actually a Logitech. I'm the weird guy at the office for having them, but I just found them to be more comfortable for my wrists.

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scrabill profile image
Shannon Crabill

My previous job did, yes. Stress can manifest in weird ways. I used to get headaches, cramps and overall soreness.

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kayis profile image
K

Hard to tell.

I had my first PC with 10 and sat in front of screens for years before I started to work in front of them.

I need glasses, which probably comes from this? Otherwise I feel pretty okay. Could probably use a bit more exercise and a bit less alcohol, haha.

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iamshadmirza profile image
Shad Mirza

When you start as a fresher in a startup with you being only dev then the answer is obviously Yes!!.
I had to learn a lot over a very short span of time and that resulted in a headache, sleepless nights, overworking and a hell lot of tension.
I was popping headache pills once every two days just to show up to work every day, it was really hard for the starting 4-5 months.
It did enable me to gain a lot of knowledge quickly but it's not something I'm really proud of.
Eye strains are another thing you face when you're in front of screen for 80% of the day.
I have seen weight loss due to tension and haven't slept for up to 3 days straight, again because of work stress.
I was using a bed table to study and code at room and it resulted in back problems that I'm still going through.
It was horrible. It wasn't too long, I'm talking about 2019.
Now, I don't mind taking a day off just to stay in bed and get a reset when things start to become too overwhelming.
I'm starting to understand that one should always put health over literally anything and taking care of myself more sincerely.
I didn't know earlier what productivity a good chair and a table bring but I must say that it's really important to invest in your workspace. It's worth it. At last, getting good sleep should be your top priority. It does wonders. Staying awake to get work done is not an idea, sleep early and wake up early instead. You will get work done in half the time, believe me on this. After a lot of tries, I was successful to get into the habit of waking up early and it's the most perfect thing if you want to be 2x productive.
Early morning is not really necessary but getting a nap before doing some work resets you and put you into optimum performance mode. Time doesn't really matter.

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel πŸ•΅πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ Fayard • Edited

Oh yes it did! I had a depression crisis because of a bad job and have been struggling for this from time to time in the last 10 yeears. This explains why I'm quite opiniated about the idea that people should not try so hard to work with bad companies. If the company doesn't feel right, trust your instinct and find better ones, there are lots of them.

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aneeqakhan profile image
Aneeqa Khan
  • Strained eyes
  • Neck pain
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_hs_ profile image
HS

Back, back, back, eyes, neck, wrist, elbows, lost muscles on my arms...

Anyway now, at work, I'm getting on 6th floor by stairs, trying to exercise each morning quickly before work, just push ups 15 to 20 for now but I think I need to dramatically increase quantity, and back of screens after work. It appears that my arms getting back in shape although not enough so I'll try doing more.

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theonlybeardedbeast profile image
TheOnlyBeardedBeast
  • The eye irritation as mentioned above. I use to have days that I don't use any screens after work. Also, I canceled my phone internet, now I have nothing to do on my phone, so I don't stare at it when I am traveling. I am planning to buy blue light blocking glasses.
  • Even if I am almost daily at the gym, I managed to gain 10 kilograms. But I connect it with more than just a lot of sitting. I have a better food schedule, then in times when I was in university, so I also gained muscles alongside fat. But I have to care more about what I eat. I started a diet and I am calculating my calorie intake and it works.
  • No neck or back pain, it cames up only if I miss the gym more than 3 weeks in a row, so my advice for people with back pain, do your deadlifts.
  • At the beginning of a full-time job I had wrist pain, but I stopped using the mac touchpad as a primary pointer device and I bought a heavier and larger mouse.

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