Diversity MBA Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 86) Is it because you absolutely need a break from job-related stress? There are better ways to cope. Have you ever taken a sick day from work because you’re sick and tired of the stress your job brings? According to the American Psychological Association, one in four American workers has called in sick or taken a “mental health day” as a result of work-related stress. Perhaps you took that sick time to “play hooky” on a sunny day and head to the beach; or maybe you simply buried your head under the covers and caught up on some much-needed sleep. But maybe the pressure of office politics, perpetual deadlines, and looming layoffs really made you ill that day. According to St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance, problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than are any other life stressor. For black professionals, the link between workplace stress and health can be especially strong. “The reality of being black in America today crecre ates experiences of anxiety and stress,” says Toby Thompkins, an executive coach and organizational developdevelop ment consultant based in New York City. Workplace discrimination and isolation can be a part of that reality. However, “a big part of our self-worth is built around ability to deal with stress, to ‘make it happen,’ to rise above whatever particular sort of struggle or obstacle that we have, so we don’t identify stress as the killer that it is,” he explains. This problem is especially acute among Black women, who are conditioned to define themselves according to their ability to handle life’s burdens, says Thompkins, who is also the author of The Real Lives of Strong Black Women: Transcending Myths, Reclaiming Joy (Agate, $26.50). It’s no wonder that nearly three in ten of Black women responding to a 2004 NiaPulse survey reported feeling “stressed out” daily. Regardless of gender, physical disorders such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which occur at disproportionately higher rates in African w w w. d ive r s it y mb a ma g a z in e. c o m Why Are You Really Taking That Sick Day? By Cheryl Mayberry McKissack & Sheryl Huggins 86 http://www.diversitymbamagazine.com
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