| |
| |
|
Stress Management Information |
|
|
|
What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress
I just got through reading some troubling news in the New York Times this morning. 62% of employees now say that work-related stress leaves them overwhelmed and overtired. And for many of us, who bring work home from the office, the problem is even worse. So what's going on? Why are most of us so stressed? I'll tell you what a major part of the problem is? lack of job security. I remember as I was growing up, my father only had two jobs. He was a high school teacher for the earlier part of his life, and later on he went into the real estate profession. Two jobs, and they spanned his entire lifetime! And the one career change he made was something he wanted to do. He didn't make the change because he was losing his job as a teacher. In fact, the school district wanted him to stay. But that's a far cry from the way things are today. In fact, the days of job stability, and working for a single employer for your entire working career are long gone. You'll probably change jobs at least 11 times before you retire. Downsizing, rapid business expansion and outsourcing are terms that we're all too familiar with. Before I got involved in the health industry and started my own indoor air quality business back in 1996, I'd already held 5 jobs in 5 completely different industries. I worked as a telecommunications technician (in the Army), as a framer, on the green chain at 2 separate lumber mills, as a farm hand and finally as an Alaska fisherman for seven years (which was the hardest and most stressful job I ever had). Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "You must've been a problem employee". But the fact is, nothing could be further from the truth. I was in fact a model employee for every company I worked for, and never left a single employer on bad terms. For example? I began working as an Alaska fisherman in 1988. My main motivation for doing this was the money. Quite honestly, that's the only reason I took the job. And if you've ever seen that movie "The Perfect Storm" or watched those shows on the discovery channel, you have an idea of what it's like to fish in Alaska. My own story isn't much different and it taught me why being an Alaska Fisherman is know as "The Most Dangerous Job In The World". The winter of 1995 had been an especially bad winter in Alaska. Fishing boats and fishermen's lives were being claimed by the Bering Sea almost weekly. I was working on the outside deck after dark and we were in an unbelievable storm. It was the worst I'd seen in my 7 years of fishing. The kind of thing you only see in the movies. I was scared to death! But I had my own way of dealing with my fears. I'd never look out at the horizon when we were in a storm like this because I didn't want to see the big picture. I didn't want to know how high the waves really were. So I'd just concentrate on my job, which was to get all the fish onto the boat. As long as I did my job, and didn't look up, I could almost convince myself that the storm wasn't that bad. While this certainly wasn't the best way to deal with stress, at the time, it was the only way I knew how. As always, the captain was in the wheelhouse driving the boat. His job was to keep an eye on me and watch for the dangerous rogue waves that would come out of nowhere and slam into us broadside. He'd tell me if I was in any real danger. And then it happened! I heard the captain's thundering voice over the intercom system. Kevin! Hit the deck! Before I could react, I was buried under a wall of water that hurled me all the way across the deck of the boat, face first into the railing on the other side. When the water settled, and I realized what had happened, my immediate thought was, "Thank God I'm still on the boat" The impact had knocked out my front teeth and caused serious facial damage, but at least I was still alive, and on the boat. If that wave would have lifted me just a few inches higher, I would have been thrown right over the top of the railing into the freezing waters of the Bering Sea. And there's one thing I knew for sure. In a storm like that, there's no way in hell the captain would have got that boat turned around in time to save me. I would have died right then and there. It was at that moment I decided my life as an Alaska Fisherman was over. While it was a great experience, I've never regretted my decision to leave the fishing industry. I just didn't want to deal with that much stress in my life. Decades of research has linked stress to everything from heart attacks and stroke to diabetes and a weakened immune systems, and none of us want to deal with that. I've since found much better ways to deal with stress, and you can too by going to www.healtharticles.org About The Author Kevin Thompson is a national authority on indoor air quality and health issues. His free Health Articles & News Update service gives you instant access to the world's most respected and sought after health experts in 70 categories, including Men's Health, Women's Health and Children's Health just to name a few. Find out how this free service is changing people's lives and how you too can live a longer, healthier and more prosperous lifestyle... beginning today. Go to www.healtharticles.org.
MORE RESOURCES:
Stress-Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Stress May Cost Businesses Millions, But the Costs to the Sufferer are Far Worse Governements and businesses have regularly highlighted the costs of stress to them in monetary terms. The real cost is the affect on the lives of the people who suffer from it. 5 Steps to Make Stress Your Best Friend You probably think I'm wacko, but it's true - stress can be your best friend! Stress is actually a positive experience to be channeled to improve your life.For instance, let me tell you about a small moment of stress I faced a few minutes ago. The Sixty Second Stress Solution It is an inescapable fact, we live in a stressful world. We are all exposed to stress every day, at home and at work, and not one of us can honestly say that we don't feel the effects. Stress Management Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is so stressful!" Or something else along those lines?Most people believe that stress is something that happens in their lives. They believe it is the result of outside circumstances beyond their control. [Emotional Health] Are You Feeling In Control? When it is all said and done, do you feel like you stay on an even keel emotionally most of the time? Here is a story about how easy it is to lose one's emotional balance.Recently, I was coming home from an evening business meeting in Tokyo. Sometimes C.O.P.I.N.G Is All We Can Do We strive for excellence in our lives, going at full throttle, but sometimes we are faced with a situation where all we do is "hurry up and wait".That's when we need to learn about coping. It is Looking Up for Stress Relief No this is not related to praying, this is how your brain works. Looking up will reduce your stress?. Dealing With Frustration If you're like most people, you have your bouts of frustration, for sure. Not everyone handles these episodes in the same manner, as you most likely already know. How to Recognize Stress Before it Turns Into Anger After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled into his driveway. The children's toys were scattered on the walkway to the house. Five Tips to De-stress Your Life I recently received this e-mail message about stress management (author unknown)?------------------------A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. Stress Management: 12 Stress Busters for Speedy Stress Reduction Are You Too Stressed?Is your stomach all tied up in knots? Do you have trouble concentrating or remembering things? Do you have trouble falling asleep, or do you sleep too much? You can handle a certain amount of stress, but when you get overloaded with stress, it lowers your ability to function. That is when you need stress relief - and you need it fast. Stress Management and Mastery: Watch Your Language "Watch your language."We all heard this admonition as kids and probably say it to our own kids as well. The Art of Worrying I am worried. I have been biting my nails for weeks and now there is not much left (skin doesn't taste very good) on my hands and feet to chew on. Conflict Resolution ... What The Heck Are You Thinking? Do you get frustrated with your spouse, your kids, your parents? Maybe you can't stand your boss, or your co-workers drive you up the wall. I'll bet you think that if all these pesky people would just quit bothering you that you'd be really happy, right? Well guess what, you'd just find something else to drive you crazy because you like how it feels. Stress Relief - An Industry For Self Inflicted Stress Stress ReliefStress is a big business in Western society. We live what we regard as hectic lives, that prime us with stress. How To Recognize Stress And Its Effects Before It Takes You Over Stress affects different people in different ways, but affect them it does. Whether you recognize it or not, if you are stressed, it is only a matter of time before something has to give - and that something is likely to be you!So what exactly is stress, and what does it do to you?Stress is a collective term for a whole series of effects, mental, physical and emotional, that occur as a result of excess. HELP! Im Working with a Baby!! Did you know that more than half of our adult population has an anger problem? Have you experienced them? They act all flustered and pitch a fit. Can you believe it that some of them actually throw things when they get mad? And not only that, they cuss up a storm, rant and rave, and carry on like they are a child. Minimizing Stress Understanding StressStress has been called "the invisible disease". It is a disease that may affect you, your organization, and any of the people in it, so you cannot afford to ignore it. Stress Management and Mastery: How to Learn from Mistakes Q. I've been told that I need to learn from my mistakes. How Stressed Out Are You? Take This Quiz And See How You Rate On Your Stress Level! Stress, America's #1 health problem, is a leading cause of major illness. Heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression are just some of the harmful effects of stress.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
