COULD you be working so hard that you’re approaching a serious health crisis?

When Bournemouth University graduate Jonathan Frostick was suffering a heart attack, his first thought was about a meeting with his manager.

“This isn’t convenient,” he remembered thinking, in a LinkedIn post that has gone viral and been discussed around the world.

Mr Frostick’s experience has heightened awareness of the risk of overwork – at a time when working from home has blurred the boundaries between work and domestic life.

Dorset wellbeing experts and business leaders have been sharing their thoughts on how to spot the warning signs of impending burnout – and how to avoid it.

The experience struck a chord with Paul Tansey, managing director of Dorset marketing agency Intergage.

He was working 16-hour days when a routine health check for an insurance policy dangerously high blood pressure.

A nurse told him to cancel all plans and go to hospital, where a doctor said: “I’d rather roll the dice every morning than have your chance of a heart attack or stroke.”

“It’s all too easy for anybody and everybody – but particularly midlife males with responsible jobs seem to be the worst culprits for lacking perspective,” he said.

Renee Clarke, owner of Work Well Hub, which helps organisations with their workplace health, says: “Common signs of stress are increased heartbeat, shallow breathing, headaches,  musculoskeletal issues or a change in sleeping patterns or negative behaviours such as increasing alcohol. 

“It is important to recognise the changes and seek help early on.”