Physical symptoms of work stress: Is your body trying to tell you something?

CREATED BY DAVE CORDLE Published: 10/09/2026 @ 09:01AM #WorkStress #PhysicalSymptoms #EmotionalWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #SelfCare

The physical symptoms of work stress can sometimes be easier to dismiss than the emotional ones. You might put a headache down to a long day, blame aching shoulders on your desk chair or assume tired, uncomfortable eyes are simply the result of too much screen time ...

Experiencing physical symptoms of work stress? It may be time to listen to what your body is trying to tell you

Any of those explanations could be correct, but if symptoms persist, it may be worth considering whether your working life contributes to them. Recognising the physical symptoms of work stress does not mean assuming every ache or pain is caused by your career.

Physical symptoms can have many causes!

Headaches are a good example. Perhaps they regularly appear towards the end of your working day or become worse during particularly demanding periods. You might experience tension across your neck, shoulders or back, especially if you spend hours sitting rigidly at a desk while concentrating or dealing with pressure.

These physical symptoms of work stress can easily become part of your normal routine until you stop noticing just how often they occur.

Your eyes can also suffer during periods of intense work. Long stretches in front of screens can leave them tired, dry, or uncomfortable, and may cause blurred vision and headaches. Stress itself may not be the direct cause, but pressure can lead to behaviours that make the problem worse, such as skipping breaks, working longer hours, or staying glued to your screen because you feel unable to step away.

Fatigue is another symptom worth noticing!

There's a difference between feeling pleasantly tired after a productive day and regularly ending work completely exhausted. If your evenings and weekends are increasingly turning into recovery time just so you can face work again, that deserves your attention.

This is where the physical symptoms of work stress can become useful information about your career. Rather than simply asking how you can make the headache disappear, you can also ask what was happening when those symptoms appeared. Are there particular tasks, people, environments, or expectations that consistently coincide with them?

You may discover that the answer is something
relatively straightforward!

Perhaps you need clearer boundaries, more regular breaks, a better workspace, or a conversation about your workload. But you may also discover something more fundamental: the way you work now, or even the career you are pursuing, no longer feels sustainable.

Paying attention does not mean immediately handing in your notice because your shoulders hurt on Tuesday afternoon. It means becoming curious about patterns rather than automatically ignoring them.

Ultimately, noticing the physical symptoms of work stress gives you another source of information when assessing your career satisfaction. Your body cannot choose your next career move for you, but if it repeatedly seems unhappy with the one you are making now, perhaps it deserves a place in the conversation?

Until next time ...

DAVE CORDLE
Career Development Professional

07941 690 391

www.davecordle.co.uk / www.linkedin.com/in/davecordle

Everything you need for your career:  www.davecordle.co.uk/basecamp

Share the blog love ...

Buffer Facebook Twitter Linkedin Pinterest WhatsApp #WorkStress #PhysicalSymptoms #EmotionalWellbeing #MentalHealthMatters #SelfCare

About Dave Cordle ...
I began my professional life training as a cartographer with the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, a department of the British government. I made maps of places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Sudan and the British Virgin Islands. It was a fascinating time, being involved in planning the flights for aerial photography, interpreting the photographs and eventually producing the plates for the different layers of the final map. It was during my latter years as a cartographer and my career in computing that I undertook bigger mountaineering expeditions to the Andes, the Himalayas, the Tien Shan and the Caucasus. At that time I also held various leadership roles in scouting. I coached and trained young people successfully leading them to develop themselves and embrace new experiences. So that’s where my passion comes from to help young people learn the strategies for success that I share with my business and career clients. My journey in personal professional development and coaching has been amazing, and will continue to be so: it’s why I’m here, it’s my big passion. It’s what has informed my vision and mission. However unlikely your dream might seem, if you keep taking steps towards it, even small steps, you may well just surprise yourself.

More blog posts for you to enjoy ...
		Finding a meaningful career: What difference do you want to make? Have you ever stopped to think about the difference you want to make in the world? For some people, that means tackling global challenges, changing lives or leaving a lasting legacy. For others, it means raising a happy famil...
		How to work out what you want from your career In my last blog post, I talked about that feeling of being comfortably, or perhaps uncomfortably, numb at work. You may have realised that your current role no longer excites you and started thinking about your passions and s...
		Are you feeling unfulfilled at work? It may be time for a change Sometimes there isn't anything obviously wrong with your job. You turn up, do what is expected of you, get paid and repeat the process the following week. Yet somewhere along the way, the enthusiasm has disappeared ......
		How to prepare for a career change after burnout Burnout doesn't always mean you need to change careers. Sometimes reducing your workload, setting clearer boundaries, or even changing how you work can make a significant difference. But if you've addressed those issues and s...
		Signs of burnout at work and what you can do about it Most of us have periods when work feels exhausting, frustrating, or too much. A difficult week does not necessarily mean burnout, but recognising early signs at work can help you make changes before things become harder to ma...
		Building professional relationships: How to create connections that last Building professional relationships can make a huge difference throughout your career. The people you meet along the way can become colleagues, mentors, clients, collaborators, or even future employers. The strongest relation...
		How to build a professional network that helps you grow Your professional network can be one of the most valuable resources you have throughout your career, but building one isn't simply about collecting LinkedIn connections or handing out business cards to those you meet ......
		Why focusing on your career strengths can be smarter than fixing your weaknesses When you think about developing your career, where does your attention go first? For many people, it's their weaknesses. We identify the things we're not particularly good at and immediately start thinking about courses, trai...

Other bloggers you may like ...
		Serviced accommodation for contractors in Milton Keynes Posted by Emily Freeman on https://blog.shortstay-mk.co.uk Finding the right serviced accommodation in Milton Keynes can make all the difference to a successful project. Whether you're on a short-term contract ...
		Budget tax changes: What could they mean for businesses and investors? Posted by Roger Eddowes on https://blog.essendonaccounts.co.uk As the next budget approaches, speculation about tax changes is gaining momentum. The Chancellor faces a difficult balancing act: managing public fina ...
		When setting up YourPING, who should be a trusted contact? Posted by Steffi Lewis on https://www.yourping.uk Choosing trusted contacts may sound straightforward: pick someone you know, add their details, and you're done. But it's worth thinking a little more ...
		Why good document management for small businesses saves time and reduces stress Posted by Sarah Hannaford on https://blog.sarahpasolutions.co.uk Every small business generates documents. From invoices and contracts to customer correspondence and internal procedures, the amount of information ca ...