The Unseen Toll of Workplace Stress: A Personal Journey

The Awakening: A Chipped Tooth and Unseen Tensions

Pexel

I remember waking up one morning, bewildered by the sensation of a sharply chipped tooth with the piece rolling around in my mouth. This physical manifestation of stress was my body’s way of sounding the alarm. Despite my wife’s concerns about my nocturnal teeth grinding and restless sleep, it hadn’t dawned on me that I was crumbling under stress and burnout. The realization hit me hard when I couldn’t even bite down properly, a symptom of TMJ disorder, a painful condition linked directly to stress. This was a wake-up call.

The Root Cause: Navigating Workplace Racism

The main source of my stress was clear: the workplace. The news cycle of constant violence, broken systems, and bad leaders did not help. While my work peers provided a semblance of normalcy, the higher-ups introduced a toxic blend of racism and unrealistic expectations. Encountering microaggressions from bosses who should be allies added layers of complexity to my daily life. Even more jarring was a comment from a Black superior, suggesting I was too assimilated into white culture, saying I sounded white— how does one even respond to such a divisive statement? These experiences weren’t just “workplace stress”; they were…