I'm a 38-year-old bank employee. My family life is stable, but my job is extremely stressful. My workplace constantly holds evaluations and assessments, keeping me physically and mentally tense every day.This year, I feel like a changed person. I dread going to work, lack motivation for anything, and feel irritable. Even trivial matters trigger uncontrollable anger. Lately, I've been deeply depressed, struggling to sleep at night, reluctant to rise in the morning, and experiencing constant muscle stiffness with no relaxation. My chest feels perpetually tight—truly a sense of professional burnout. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've visited the hospital several times, but doctors can't find anything physically wrong.I'm terrified, unsure what illness I might have. Expert Interpretation: Based on your description, you may be experiencing anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions, affecting people of all ages but most frequently occurring in middle age—especially today with intensifying career pressures. Typical symptoms include nervousness, restlessness, palpitations, shortness of breath, insomnia, and other physical discomforts.Anxiety disorders are often triggered by psychological stress and stressful situations, such as academic advancement, exams, interpersonal relationships, career and financial pressures, or marital and sexual issues. However, they can also arise from mere imaginings or anticipations of danger and threats.Your situation appears linked to excessive work pressure. Media outlets like newspapers frequently discuss "occupational burnout," which essentially describes a chronic state of anxiety stemming from overwhelming work demands. Individuals often feel physically and mentally drained by their jobs, hence the term "burnout."
Research indicates that chronic anxiety caused by work has become a prevalent occupational disease in China. Certain professions, characterized by long-term overload or intense competition, are particularly prone to burnout.The author conducted a mental and physical health survey of 100 professional women in finance, real estate, and advertising/media industries. Results showed 66% of respondents exhibited multiple psychological symptoms of moderate severity or higher, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and hypersensitivity in interpersonal relationships. Among them, 38% displayed severe symptoms significantly deviating from normal levels.
For your situation, the following recommendations are offered:
1. Begin by learning about mind-body health principles. Understand the connection between bodily organs, emotions, and psychological stress. Recognizing that you have no underlying physical illness can help break the vicious cycle of emotional distress and pressure.
2. Learn to adjust and relax your state of mind in daily life and work to release pressure. Activities like exercise, conversation, singing, and deep breathing can help. Exercise and singing release psychological stress, improve brain oxygenation, enhance life satisfaction, and strengthen psychological regulation abilities. Regularly talking and confiding in friends and family builds a strong social support system, allowing timely release of stress and negative emotions, thereby alleviating tension and pressure.
Deep breathing is an excellent psychological stress-regulation technique. Practice it during daily breaks in work and life. Slowly inhale to maximum lung capacity, hold briefly, then exhale completely. This process effectively balances sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functions, gradually relaxing tense muscles.
3. Anxiety disorders often stem from personality traits and thought patterns. Patients may tend to worry excessively or adopt overly cautious behaviors in work and daily life. Clarifying and adjusting these tendencies is essential to truly eliminate psychological stressors.
4. If anxiety symptoms persist despite self-regulation efforts, seeking psychological counseling and therapy—or even considering anti-anxiety medication—may be necessary.
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