Work Stress

Off Topic
1

I’ve been at a new job for about 5 months, and the stress is really screwing with me. When I come home from work my energy levels are at 0. I can go to sleep instantly. On the weekends I can sleep for 12 hours no problem. I’m sure all this stress is not good for bodybuilding, as well as the fact that I have to workout after work, and sometimes the only way I can do it is with stimulants (just more stress & anxiety).

Now I know other people at my work are a lot less stressed out. I wish I could just come home and forget about everything, but I can’t. How can I overcome this. Are there drugs that would be beneficial?

2

What kind of work do you do?

3

Print advertising. There is a lot of money at stake, strict deadlines, and almost invariably going to be a problem. For example today the art department screwed up on some changes for an ad, and I got a call from the president of the company and his marketing director. He told me that I had better be crystal clear on what he wanted because he wasn’t getting another proof (already on deadline). Well, I have no idea if his ad is going to turn out. I don’t even know who is working on the ad. So if tommorrow it is screwed up…I owe him thousands of dollars in ads.

Anyways, I’m sure there are a ton of more stressful jobs, but my problem is I don’t handle it well and it really burns me out. I’m wondering if some kind of anxiety drug would help me.

4

[quote]T234 wrote:
Anyways, I’m sure there are a ton of more stressful jobs…[/quote]
Some…but maybe for different reasons…
I know massive stress is slowing my gains to a snails pace (for over a year of consistent training)…In particular, lack of REM sleep…I recently started taking a highly regarded cortisol inhibiter, but too soon to tell if it is helping…

5

I’m currently trying to learn how to cope better with my job stress too. Can’t really help, but maybe this will give you a laugh if you work in advertising:

6

Look for another job!

It’s not worth being miserable. Just try to have a plan, or a bunch of extra money saved up.

If not, work on getting a new job.

7

Maybe you should look into a new line of work??? It always amazes me how stressed out people get over different things. Whenever I get stressed out I just think to myself, could be worse, could ALWAYS be worse…

In my line of work I can have tractor trailers flying by me at 80mph one day and be cutting up a nuclear reactor head with a torch the next. And it’s funny, neither of those stress me out as much as writing a paper for a class. lol

8

your asking for a heart attack

9

[quote]SWR-1240 wrote:
Look for another job!
It’s not worth being miserable. Just try to have a plan, or a bunch of extra money saved up.
If not, work on getting a new job.[/quote]

Wish it was an option, but it is not at the moment for me, but that may change soon, I just hope I dont end up pushing a shopping cart and sleeping under the freeway if it all goes sideways (and that, my friend, is ultimate stress!/:wink:

10

Yup, I agree. I got my job with some luck. If I quit I will be making a third of what I make now. That’s going to hurt my bodybuilding more than stress does.

11

Do you workout before or after work. If working out before work, try working out after your workday. Also while you are at the gym focus on not focusing on work…

But I honestly don’t have that problem. I just figure that no matter what happens, it will always turn out O.K. in the end.

13

[quote]T234 wrote:
Print advertising. There is a lot of money at stake, strict deadlines, and almost invariably going to be a problem. For example today the art department screwed up on some changes for an ad, and I got a call from the president of the company and his marketing director. He told me that I had better be crystal clear on what he wanted because he wasn’t getting another proof (already on deadline). Well, I have no idea if his ad is going to turn out. I don’t even know who is working on the ad. So if tommorrow it is screwed up…I owe him thousands of dollars in ads.

Anyways, I’m sure there are a ton of more stressful jobs, but my problem is I don’t handle it well and it really burns me out. I’m wondering if some kind of anxiety drug would help me. [/quote]

If you like your job but have a heavy workload thats one thing, if you hate your job regardless of the worlkload thats another

For the latter, you are just kidding yourself and the company you work for. Something is going to give, probably you, so you need to have an exit strategy…at least some glimmer of hope that the future will be better.

If its the former, you may start getting use to the work as you become better at it. It may be a matter of time.

There’s also the chance that your brain chemistry isn’t quite right. For that I take Paxil CR. It seems to balance out my mood and makes me feel more like myself. No drugged feeling or side effect at all. It does take about 4 weeks to take effect.

My doctor asked me if I was stresses. I told him yes and he gave me a prescription. I am very suspicious about taing any medication,but this wrks for me. Its been 2 years with no problems and no bouts of depresion or anxiety

Good luck to you

14

[quote]SWR-1240 wrote:
Look for another job!

It’s not worth being miserable. Just try to have a plan, or a bunch of extra money saved up.

If not, work on getting a new job.[/quote]

I’m going to challenge you because you lost me my deal on my time machine! :slight_smile:

Seriously though, I’m going through a fair amount of stress at the moment - working for a small production company doing business award shows - I manage all the graphics. Though there are only 3 of us, we do over 35 shows a year and at the moment I’m working on 3 shows (one based in New York at the end of the month - I

nvestor Relations Award) and the stress is getting to me. Budgets for these kinds of shows also average between 50-$100,000 a show, so we aren’t exactly talking pocket change.

I feel though, that if you try to plan and time manage your projects as much as possible, this reduces a lot of stress. The fact that there are problems occuring and you don’t even know who’s working on a particular project or how it’s going to turn out means you should work on managing it(in my opinion).

If you don’t like your job, then yes, you should look for another, but if you do, then learn to deal with it in other ways to reduce stress other than stimulants and what not.

If you constantly are on top of things and other people, then it’s on them to get it done - not you - and will put some of your pressure on them…

15

[quote]rsg wrote:
SWR-1240 wrote:
Look for another job!

It’s not worth being miserable. Just try to have a plan, or a bunch of extra money saved up.

If not, work on getting a new job.

I’m going to challenge you because you lost me my deal on my time machine! :slight_smile:

Seriously though, I’m going through a fair amount of stress at the moment - working for a small production company doing business award shows - I manage all the graphics. Though there are only 3 of us, we do over 35 shows a year and at the moment I’m working on 3 shows (one based in New York at the end of the month - I

nvestor Relations Award) and the stress is getting to me. Budgets for these kinds of shows also average between 50-$100,000 a show, so we aren’t exactly talking pocket change.

I feel though, that if you try to plan and time manage your projects as much as possible, this reduces a lot of stress. The fact that there are problems occuring and you don’t even know who’s working on a particular project or how it’s going to turn out means you should work on managing it(in my opinion).

If you don’t like your job, then yes, you should look for another, but if you do, then learn to deal with it in other ways to reduce stress other than stimulants and what not.

If you constantly are on top of things and other people, then it’s on them to get it done - not you - and will put some of your pressure on them…[/quote]

Yea, I agree.

I’m currently moving to another state because I don’t like the weather, my job, or my living situation, and since my wife’s just finishing college, she’s also at a good time to move.

I actually have a problem with leaving jobs I don’t like. I have tried out many different types, and I think they were almost all a good learning experience, but the problem now is that I don’t have many long term jobs in my resume, and so far a lot of employers I spoke with are looking for that.

So I guess that while I’m all for leaving a job you don’t like, there are always going to be consequences that come along with it.