Is your job making you sick? If you feel a lot of stress, it can affect you in other ways.

Most people have to cope with stress on the job from time to time. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) survey, Stress in America, work (64%) and money (61%) are the most commonly mentioned personal sources of stress. But can stress make you sick? For real?

Put simply: Oh yes, stress can make you sick.

The problem is that if stress goes unmanaged, its impact will not only affect the quality of your work, but it could also end up making you sick(er). It turns out, stress sickness is a real thing.

In a Monster survey of 1,000 full-time and parttime employees in the United States, 34% said their job negatively affects their mental health. Many employees have experienced anxiety (41%), depression (24%), and phys- ical illness (12%) as a result of their job. Take a look as we break down what serious work-related stress actually is, its key causes, and tips for stress management to help get you through the work day.

What can cause you to become sick from stress?

When it comes to chronic work stress, the kind that causes physical symptoms and a daily dread whenever you’re at work, there are a few common culprits. Take a look at some of the top cited underlying sources of work stress:

1. Feeling overworked and underpaid: Low pay, lack of opportunity for growth and advancement, a heavy workload, and unclear or unrealistic job expectations are common culprits. And since money is also iden- tified as a top stressor in the survey year after year and work is the primary source of income, those two can be related as well, says Dr. Ballard.

2. Feeling unable to unplug: People also say that the inability to unplug from work is a big stress driver, not to mention having to keep up with all the new technology being used in the work- place. It’s even got a term, technostress, which is the stress and negative psycho- logical impact of introducing new technologies at work.

3. Having limited resources: If you work at high speeds or under tight deadlines, or if you have too little time to do your job, you’re going to feel the squeeze. Of course you want to deliver your best work, but you need the proper tools.

4. Working in hostile environments: A toxic work environment can entail anything from sexual harassment and bullying to nasty gossip and even physical abuse.

How to cope when a job is making you sick

The fact is workplace stress is inevitable — you just have to figure out if you’re expe- riencing it at a level that is beyond what you can han- dle. You need to know your limits. “People differ in terms of what is optimal for them,” says Dr. David Ballard, former head of applied psychology at the APA., “so the same amount of pressure might energize and focus one employee, but completely overwhelm and impair the functioning of another.”

If you’re having trouble getting through the day, there are some things you can try to stave off stress sickness.

During the work day: Seek support. Talking through work challenges with your boss and/or coworkers, can help counteract the stress of long hours when you’re on deadline, or other factors that are out of your control.

Say no to multitasking. Sometimes having too many “mental tabs” open can feel overwhelming. Turn off push notifications and alerts for all but essential communication channels, so you can give what you are doing your full attention.

Take breaks. Throughout the day, pause for a minute or two to stand up, stretch, breathe deeply, and shake off the tension. Also, avoid the temptation to work through lunch.

After hours:

Pencil in relaxation time. “Whether it’s yoga, meditation, listening to music, reading a book, taking a walk, or visiting with friends and family, do something that actively helps you unwind,” says Dr. Ballard.

Get enough sleep. Having less than six hours of sleep per night is a risk factor for burnout.

Focus on the good. Put your energy into the aspects of your job that you enjoy doing and that make you feel fulfilled. Thinking about the positive aspects of your job on a tough day — whether it’s the personal satisfaction your work brings you or the friendships you’ve made at the office — can help.

MONSTER.COM If you feel overworked, have limited resources in your job or feel harassed in your workplace, you may be experiencing stress that can affect your overall health.