How stressed were you at your most stressful job?

[Anonymous]

I would work 9-5, come home and have dinner, then sign on again around 8 and work until anywhere from 1-3 am. It was awful.

They renovated our building, and we had to use a key for the ground floor bathroom. We were supposed to turn them in after the renovation was finished, but I kept mine. I would go in there and cry several times per week.

I know they say that stress can’t cause a miscarriage, but I can’t help but wonder if the miscarriage I had while working there was caused by it.

I left for a government job and couldn’t be happier. My lower take home pay is made up for by the excellent health insurance, all of the leave (15 days of annual, 15 days of sick, 6 personal days, 12 holidays), and the pension I will get. Not to mention I am able to be more present for my family.

[Anonymous]

I quit, got a new job, and moved across the country.

[Anonymous]

My most stressful job was because I had a toxic and emotionally abusive boss. When I left my life wa so much better.

[Anonymous]

Samesies. I used to wake up in the morning and my hands were sore from clenching my fists in my sleep. Chewed through a bite guard and ground my teeth to a pulp. My body was so tense all the time! Her behavior was so triggering and her rages reminded me of my narcissistic father. Made me feel like I was ten years old all over again.

[Anonymous]

worked remotely for a CA company. Would start work around 7am to work with the europe folks, and would frequently work until 7pm, at which point my boss would ask me why I was signing off so early... because it was only 4pm for him. There weren't enough of us so I was either oncall or secondary for most of two years straight for a multi-billion dollar company.

Was dealing with a multiday outage while on travel in a foreign country, woke up one morning and couldn't stand, and my heart was in tachycardia for several hours. Thought about trying to get to a hospital, decided it was too much effort. Eventually crawled over to the bathroom and got myself together.

Several months later, had a miscarriage, and a review where I was told I needed to be more deferential but also lead more. I left for a nice government job AND A 15% RAISE and never looked back.

[Anonymous]

Cried in the car between appointments. Procrastinated due to extreme anxiety. Broke out in terrible rashes. Had a full blown panic attack that alarmed my spouse. Ended an important friendship that was going through a needy time because I couldn't give an ounce more.

This was despite weekly therapy and 2x month massage. I eventually quit and found a job that was a much better fit, but I really struggled trying to fit myself into the job. I was young and felt like I had a lot to prove.

[Anonymous]

I was losing hair in clumps and started throwing up from stress multiple times per day. I developed stress dreams that woke me up throughout the night, every night. I was really unpleasant to be around on the rare occasion I wasn't working because I was so miserable and wound up.

It went on longer than I should have allowed but it was a prestigious job and I was in my 20s and single, so I spent all my time at work and it was hard to consider leaving because it felt like all I had.

Eventually my parents had a bit of an intervention and said they were concerned for my health, and offered to support me financially if I wanted to go back to school or take time off. It was hard to think about other jobs because everything I was being offered felt like a step down in prestige, so I didn't want to go that route. I got into a top grad program in a different field and lined up a very cushy part time job near school, and never looked back.

Now I am in a different field, make more money, work less hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Research science...sick to my stomach every day. Someone would cry in the lab at least weekly. The stakes are just too high and the boss's opinion of you is totally based on whether your experiment elicited the "desired" result, not on your technical skill or work ethic. I switched to clinical work and never felt sick again.

+it was my postdoc, and I needed an amazing recommendation from my boss to get my next job. I worked 60 hrs a week, got paid very little, and my boss always asked me why my projects weren’t moving faster.

I quit when I realized many results in my lab weren’t able to be replicated. I’m pretty sure one of te post docs was making up data to please my boss. I reported them both, but the investigation showed that their work was poor judgement but not fraudulent.

After I left my boss was t allowed to have any more post docs. She left for another institution shortly after, and is now terrorizing people in a new lab, and still publishing a lot.

I switched careers and made 3X money for a 9-5 job (which really shows how little I was making) but I was sad for several years that I had to switch career paths.

[Anonymous]

I literally cracked and then subsequently lost a tooth at 32yo from clenching so hard in my sleep from work stress

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My most stressful job was because I had a toxic and emotionally abusive boss. When I left my life wa so much better.

+1

The whole department was dictated by a toxic and emotionally abusive boss, who repeatedly put us in harm's way. So much drama and trash for a grown adult in her position and place. Good riddance.

[Anonymous]

Many of same issues above. Binge eating and drinking. Crying all the time. Started to consider cutting. When the gaslighting by longtime friends and colleagues was clear beyond dispute, I took a leave of absence, negotiated several months medical leave, got a career coach, went on anti-depressants, and ultimately quit. I was able to be out about 3 months on sick leave and then unemployed for 4 more before starting a new job. More money w better hours moving from Gov’t to private sector. I still ruminate on the workplace trauma and am contemplating EMD to help move past it. I have broken off contact with those former “friends”.

[Anonymous]

Couldn’t sleep due to toxic yelling boss. Didn’t go to friend’s wedding across country because just too drained. I regret that.

Hair loss, developed rosacea, ate too much, ruminating and feeling angry. Long ago now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was losing hair in clumps and started throwing up from stress multiple times per day. I developed stress dreams that woke me up throughout the night, every night. I was really unpleasant to be around on the rare occasion I wasn't working because I was so miserable and wound up.

It went on longer than I should have allowed but it was a prestigious job and I was in my 20s and single, so I spent all my time at work and it was hard to consider leaving because it felt like all I had.

Eventually my parents had a bit of an intervention and said they were concerned for my health, and offered to support me financially if I wanted to go back to school or take time off. It was hard to think about other jobs because everything I was being offered felt like a step down in prestige, so I didn't want to go that route. I got into a top grad program in a different field and lined up a very cushy part time job near school, and never looked back.

Now I am in a different field, make more money, work less hours.

McKinsey?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked at a horrible elementary school, where the teachers were both inept and unkind; the principal was a bullying incompetent, ineffective micromanager, and the kids were "tough" kids, very much because of the horrible way they were treated, but also some of them did come to our school with many emotional and behavior issues. The whole day was chaotic from beginning to end, and I started developing very bad stomach and digestive issues, Mon-Friday. I had constant loose stools, pains, etc. I went to my doctor and she wanted to prescribe different tests for Crohn's disease, celiac and IBS; but I thought it was just too coincidental that the symptoms only started when I began working at this horrible school, and also that they subsided considerably over the weekend. So I transferred to a better school and my symptoms all were cured.
I still feel horrible about the kids who were forced to attend that school, but as a new teacher I was not in any position to be able to effect any kind of change.

+1

I am a teacher and although my admin was incredibly supportive, my first year was at a really tough HS. I couldn’t sleep, stayed up all night lesson planning and panicking. I started snorting painkillers on the weekend to numb my anxiety. Several people quit mid year- it was a really rough school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And what did you do about it?
Really not enjoying the knot in stomach feeling all day every day

Came home in tears nearly everyday. Was miserable/hated it. When I finally realized even though it was a dream job, it was not a dream boss, I looked for another job and left. Granted I was in my early 20s, and didn't really understand the power dynamic that was going on. Since then, I have left several jobs when unhappy, not waiting to be miserable. Twice when I didn't have anything else lined up. Every time I left, it was for something much better, and I have come to learn that for me, the environment in which I work is more important than the actual work. I don't have the time nor the energy for toxic people, and will leave a job to avoid them