A high paying job with more stress or less stress with a pay cut- which should I choose?

A high stress job, making you work 10 to 12 hours a day and sometimes even on weekends, and pays you very well versus a job that pays 10K less than the first one, but gives you more freedom to enjoy your life. What would you rather have? 

Is it a hard decision to make? Many in the US workforce are also pondering this question. 

For some, they would take the less demanding job as long as the salary is still enough to enable them to live a simple yet comfortable lifestyle. 

Others would choose to grind, day in day out, because they enjoy making the money for the things important for them, or the security and lifestyle it brings. 

What do current job seekers say? 

The discussion about work-life balance versus job security from a high paying job came into resurgence once again after the Covid-19 pandemic finally abated. 

Companies in the US have started seeing shifts in what are important to modern employees. And in a survey by FlexJobs, 6 in 10 of the jobseekers asked said they would rather take a job which offers freedom for more work-life balance than one that has better pay. 

Why do people prefer a less-paying job for less stress? 

Some value the time that their job gives them to do non-work activities. They find that having time for their family, children, social life, and hobbies significantly improves their lives. They make them happier! 

Others say that having a manageable amount of stress from work has positive effects on their mental health, and that is the most important for them. 

What can a highly-stressed person do to make work life more manageable? 

There is nothing wrong about choosing a job that pays well- you have your reasons for doing it. Here are some things that might be helpful in still creating an environment of wellbeing: 

• Does your company offer you some help or support regarding your increasing stress levels? If there is, opening up with your struggle may give your company a chance to assist you by hiring another to lower your workload, or through other support to help you manage your workload. 

Some even experience that when they become open with their companies about their struggles, their company was willing to assist them. 

• What company benefits do you have in your company? Maybe there are perks that you have not had the chance to make use of yet. 

• You might be in this high-stress role because you enjoy the job despite its cons, or you are saving up for something big for the future. Changing how you think about the situation can help you keep your energy up through bad times. Since your job allows you to earn more, you can do something to relax from time to time. 

• Those who stay in these high-stress jobs say that the stress seems unbearable in the beginning , and they eventually understand the ins and outs of the job, build up a strategy to not only survive but thrive in high-stress situations. 

As you wrestle with the decision whether to choose 1 over the other, consider how it affects your future- both your career and personal life. 

Of course, the decision will be affected by other factors, too, like whether one has a family to support, or the lifestyle that will be affected. 

You will definitely grow as a person once you make a decision. But remember that neither of these choices solves all your problems, but they will lead you to a path of knowing your definition of success. 

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