Reasons not to bring your work problems home

Image credit: Pixabay

Ever had the experience of coming home so frustrated you fling your possessions on the couch and begin to vent to whoever is around to listen? If so, you aren't alone. Many people bring their work issues home on a daily basis because they’ve either had a bad day, or an unresolved issue or other type of pressure is nagging away at them.

Unfortunately, bringing home your work problems can cause negative drawbacks that may impact the quality of your personal life. While it is helpful to talk out your work problems with your spouse, significant other, family member, friend or another sympathetic ear, by doing this consistently you ensure that your work life spills into your home life and, as a result, many other problems can occur.

Increased stress levels at home

If you are consumed with your work problems when you are out of the workplace you aren’t giving yourself the chance to catch a break. What often happens is the degrees of stress you feel at home tends to become mirrored in your home life.

As this occurs it is easy to fall in a cycle that doesn’t break easily. Everyone needs a rest from stress and time to relax and if you have a stressful job, your off-hours are the time to get away from the nitty-gritty of the daily grind. After work is the time of day to lower your stress – not increase it.

Alienating family and friends

While it is comforting to have a compassionate ear to listen to your woes, over time, there becomes a high potential to wear on a person’s patience or ability to listen. As a result, you may find people beginning to avoid you and/or finding ways not to talk with you.

No one likes to listen to negativity all of the time and the important people in your life may begin to drift away from you in search of more positive company. In addition to losing your sounding board, you might begin to find yourself lonely because you have no one to engage with in conversation.

If you choose to vent out your work problems to others, it is a good idea to balance it with asking people about their day or discussing other non-work related topics altogether.

No time for rest

Unfortunately, if you constantly think about or talk about work at home, you keep yourself from getting the body’s much-needed rest. Additionally, you keep yourself in the stressful environment you left back at work and you never get the opportunity to escape it.

Instead of bringing the problems home, why not leave them at the office where they belong? After all, the issues will be there waiting for you upon your return. Instead, if you are proactive and give your body and brain a rest, this will allow yourself the time to catch a break from it all. Additionally, you’ll be better equipped to handle the stress the next day after a good night’s rest.

Potential health problems

People who bring their work problems home for extended times, perhaps even to the point where it has become a lifestyle for them, may frequently find themselves with health problems. Some examples of health issues that may arise due to a continuous stream of stress are migraines or tension headaches, high blood pressure, or a lowered immune system which opens you up to other kinds of illnesses. Many companies are recognizing the importance of wellness and you can do your part by starting with your personal wellness.

Other home problems

People who bring work home with them impact their family members too. Whether it is lying in bed worrying about a project until the wee hours or the night or just complaining over or after dinner, this is bound to bring home issues to the forefront. Constantly bringing work problems home can create a burden on the entire family. Venting is healthy but to a degree. If it gets to the point where you are consumed with your work problems when you are off the clock, this is a signal it is time for you to consider engaging in other activities when you’re at home.

This is not to say it is unhealthy to complain about work at home or that one should never complain – it really only usually becomes a problem if it is constant and/or when people spend an inordinate amount of time talking or thinking about work. Over the course of time, it is bound to wear the person and those around him or her down.

Some time off to restore your work-life balance would be helpful, but maybe you feel you can't take any or you don't have the paid leave to take? If so, you aren't alone, a good number of U.S. workers have trouble maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

If this is happening to you and you can't take time away to recharge your batteries, then consider taking charge of your life and focusing on the things you enjoy. After all, you aren’t getting paid for the hours you are worrying about work at home. Besides, you can’t necessarily resolve it from home, can’t it wait until you return?