The Kaya 959 family shares the shocking physical toll that toxic workplaces and stressful environments had on their health.
By Bulelwa Hoala
Work stress can do more than just make you feel tired or frustrated. In most cases, the body starts warning you way before the mind admits that something is wrong.
During Feel Good on Kaya 959, Andy Maqondwana asked the Feel Good tribe to share the wildest ways their bodies rejected the jobs they were working in.
“I do wanna know, have you ever experienced your body rejecting the job you were in?” Andy asked.
“Maybe it wasn’t the job specifically, maybe even just the environment… but your body was on a physical level rejecting the job and the environment altogether.”
“I broke out in a rash and had to leave”
One caller shared how her body reacted almost immediately after starting a new job at a laundromat in a private hospital.
“My arms started itching so much… I got a rash all over my arms. Every time I got home I was itching. I ended up leaving the job because I felt like I was at risk.”
When you mentally check out of work
Another caller described how he completely disengaged from their job.
“I’d clock in, stay for about an hour or two, then leave for hours and come back just to clock out,” he said.
“If I was there, I was sleeping. I didn’t want to do anything… I just wanted to go there, sleep, and leave.”
Headaches, blackouts, and anxiety you can’t ignore
For some callers, the physical symptoms became more severe.
One anonymous text message revealed a scary experience of blackouts at work, while another shared how constant headaches disappeared completely after leaving a retail job.
“I don’t know what a headache is anymore since I left in 2013,” she said.
Another caller said escalating anxiety attacks became her final warning sign:
“I had such a bad attack that my children didn’t know what to do. That’s when I knew it was time to go.”
Night shift exhaustion and constant illness
Night shift work was another major trigger shared by the Kaya 959 family.
One caller explained how her body struggled to adjust to the schedule:
“I was constantly exhausted… I’d sleep but wake up anxious. I was frequently sick every month. That’s when I decided I can’t do night shift anymore.”
“My job made me sick”
The most alarming story came from a caller who linked her former work environment to serious health complications.
“I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and lupus. I would wake up and not be able to walk, with a swollen face and constant fatigue,” they said.
“I quit my job and haven’t had major flare-ups since. My blood pressure even went down.”
The conversation highlighted how workplace stress can manifest physically and opened up a bigger conversation about listening to the body before reaching breaking point.
Listen to the full conversation on the podcast:
