Can an Office Job Kill You?

Some of us sit at a desk all day tak tak takking at a computer. And although these people don't move much, that doesn't mean they are lazy. But. Inactivity is inactivity, no matter how much work you get done at your seat. When I did the research for this article, I was a little disturbed to find this one: Death by Cubicle. Me? I thought that there was some minor health risks, but the cubicle can be far more insidious than I thought. Strange, using insidious to describe something so...benign and bland.

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But, I get ahead of myself. I was only thinking about no movement, or perhaps poor diet when I first started this entry, but I was surprised to find that cubicles promote bacteria growth. And not the everyday stuff your body's immune system can just atomize, but potentially dangerous microbes that can make you ill. And it's not just bacteria. Poor ventilation in a building, combined with construction, fungus, and other particulates can cause occupational asthma, which is a freakin' shock to me. Poor ventilation (among a whole host of other things) can also cause sick building syndrome. Combine these phenomena with the fact that many people feel obligated to go to work when they're sick, and you have a dangerous environment that is completely invisible to the naked eye.

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People also sitting at desks all day may have poor working conditions starting with simple things like seating, and computer monitor distance. Take a look at this check list and to the inventory the website says. How's your posture? Can your seat be adjusted? What about your keyboard? Do you have wrist support? Back support? The list goes on and on.

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Psychological effects are abound as well. Evidently, according to this article, minor distractions from your co-workers, like them chatting on their cellphones, chatting with other workers, etc. can add up day after day after day and just break you down. This increases stress levels, and when chronic stress settles in, the human body falls apart. Hell, any sentient being breaks down.

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Should you quit your office job? No. Should you be aware of yourself and your health? Yes. As adults in the working world, we all have responsibilities and intelligence (at least we should...). We use judgement, good ole' fashioned common sense and logic to know what's good for us, and what's bad. You know when something hurts. You know when you're stressed. So, as an adult, you must control yourself within an uncontrollable environment.

So what can you do? After mere seconds, I found an entire LIST of stuff you can do to keep your body healthy. While you're at your desk! Combine that with proper diet and some stress relief breathing exercises and you're going to be feeling much better.

Work is hard. Period. I don't care if you're building a house, or filing a report. Work breaks us down, wears us out, and makes us tired. But, work is something that can also be rewarding, fun, and satisfying. Don't let the world break ya down. Stay strong, work hard, and for the love of everything good, TAKE A BREAK!

If you don't think you've earned it, you probably have.