Stress is the cause of so many illnesses, and new research shows you're more likely to have health issues because of worrying about losing your job than someone who's unemployed and stressing about finding a job. Sociologist Sarah Burgard commented, "It may seem surprising that chronically high job insecurity is more strongly linked with health declines than actual job loss or unemployment."

Researchers analyzed data on 1,700 adults and studies conducted between 1986 and 1989 and from 1995 and 2005. In one exceptional finding, the study suggested "chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than either smoking or high blood pressure." If it's true the stress of job uncertainty is just as bad for us as picking up a health vice, like cigarettes or fatty foods, that's pretty amazing news. Burgard explained, "Persistent stress is a strain on people. It is the unrelenting nature of the uncertainty that really gets you."

If you're someone who's constantly stressed about your uncertain future at your job, it's important to try your best to contain it and make stress-relieving exercise a regular part of your life. Most of all focus on staying in the moment, instead of worrying about what's to come. The future is going to happen no matter how much you worry about it.