Three Ways Mental Stress Can Lead To A Physical Injury at Work

There is a lot of talk about the effect of physical injuries that can lead to a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim, but did you know that mental stress can contribute to these types of injuries, too?  It doesn’t matter what type of stress you are undergoing, it can make a situation at your workplace worse for you and lead to damaging injuries that could cause you to miss time on the job.

Stress is an invisible thing that only you are really aware is going on in your life.  Sure, there are some people who wear their stress on their sleeve, but most people silently allow it to make their days and weeks longer.  The impact that stress has on your performance at your job can be devastating and worse can lead to you becoming physically hurt.

Being aware of the ramifications that stress can have on how you perform your role at work can make a big difference on how you approach your job when you are stressed out.  Here are some ways that stress can impact your work and possibly lead to an injury that could leave you out of work for a good amount of time.

1. Stress can distract you from the task in front of you.  In any job, if you are not 100% focused on the task at hand you could be setting yourself up for a situation where you might make a mistake or worse, get hurt.  Most jobs require your undivided attention and focus and if you cannot provide that you should not be performing your job.

2. The impact of stress goes beyond your focus.  Being stressed can impact your physical abilities to perform your duties on the job including things like reducing your strength and limiting your vision.  Severe stress can directly impact your performance from a strictly physical standpoint which could then lead to a serious mistake and/or injury.  

3. When you are stressed you are likely also drowsy as well because stress is keeping you awake at night so you are not getting the right amount of sleep you need to perform your job successfully.  When you are not sleeping and you are drowsy on the job you are much more likely to make a mistake that could potentially lead to a devastating injury.

Stress comes in all forms and from a variety of different places.  You could be stressed out about a money situation, your relationship status or a concern about your job overall.  There are many things that can cause you stress, but one thing is for sure, if you continue to be stressed it can impact how you perform at your job and could lead to you getting injured and needing to file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim.  

It can be challenging to reduce your level of stress on a daily basis, but working to do so can save you from dangers on the job.  If you do get injured, no matter the reason, contact our office and one of our board certified workers’ compensation will speak with you about your particular situation.