Who's More Stressful: Your Spouse or Your Boss?

By Jen Mueller, forSparkPeople

Jobs are a big source of stress for many people. It's hard when you're trying to balance tight deadlines, a demanding boss, competition with co-workers, etc. So you'd assume that a good way to unwind after a tough day and might be to go home and spend some time with loved ones. According to a new poll, you might want to rethink that decision. Spouses can end up creating more anxiety than your boss at the office.

The poll, conducted by electronics and healthcare manufacturer Phillips, surveyed 3,000 British men and women. 58% said their spouseor partner was one of the people in their life that put them under pressure, but only 43% said the same about their boss. 18% of women (and 12% of men) said their spouse put them under "a lot" of pressure.

Why would home lifebe so stressful? I'm sure there are lots of reasons, but here are a few guesses: Your partner is likely the person you unload a lot of things on, including stress about your job, finances, family, and life in general. That can create more stress in the relationship, especially if you disagree about any of those things. And let's face it, no matter how compatible you are, you and your partnerare never going to agree on everything.

It helps to have a support system at home that you can rely on when you need it. Talking about the issues you're facing and how your partner can help you deal with them will keep the lines of communication open and the stress level at a minimum.

The poll asked a number of questions about life and health. Another interesting result was that women were more concerned about their weight than their earnings. Almost half of those surveyed said their weight was very important to their health and wellbeing, compared to 27 percent who said that salary was their top priority. The difference wasn't as significant for men, since percent of men listed weight as an important issue to their health and wellbeing, while 33 percent said the same about their salary.

What do you think? Does your spouse/partner create more stress in your life than your employer?


Related links:
Long Hours on the Job Could Affect Your Happiness
Perfectionism Leads to Poor Health
Overweight and Stressed? Watch Out!

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