Death by Overwork

I read the other day, that there is a Japanese word, Karoshi, which means, “death by overwork”. A number of workplace studies highlight that extended work schedules and overtime are associated with increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatigue, stress, depression, muscoskeletal disorders, chronic infections, diabetes, etc.

We are working through our lunch breaks and late into the evening, disregarding our body’s call for food, sleep, etc. One could argue that we are training ourselves to ignore many of our bodily messages in order to cope. According to a Global Survey conducted in 2008, 19% of workers globally suffer from work-related ill health.

I’ve often taught how Meditation practice can help us on a mental or emotional level by teaching us to cope with stress for example. But this study also made me think of how Ki Meditation practice helps us at a more physical level too. Through Ki Meditation practice we begin to notice how our body feels; we begin to reconnect with our bodies once again and help guard against the many examples of ill-health listed above.