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Hello, I've been under a lot of stress as of late. I recently left my home town of 20 years Atlanta, and moved to Seattle. I don't have any family locally, and much of my family is very busy with their own lives. I may talk to a family member once every few months. I think since moving to Seattle I've been under a lot of stress.
1. My job is very stressful. The company I work with, I'm on a team that is very crucial to the overall function of the company. While the job is very interesting, educational, and teaches me a lot of new stuff. It is also very stressful. While I my non-oncall days are pretty decent, my on-call days have me working to resolve issues 24x7. It's hard to sleep since missed calls are grounds for termination. I've missed calls twice due to being exhausted. So in general I prepare and schedule my on-call work 2 weeks in advance to make sure I don't get hit by last minute surprises. Though I have to react to issues which you can't really plan for. The job pays really good money, and the skills I pick up are great, but I go into stress overload during deadline periods and on-call. Between project dealines, and on-call work, there is never a calm moment at this job. The only saving grace is that it's not a hostile work environment.
2. Love life. I recently broke up with a woman who I had very strong feelings for. While it's not as big of a deal as the job, it actually has taken a toll of me mentally. If it was the only thing I had to deal with, it would be fine. But dealing with someone you really loved walking away and a stressful job has been shown to be too much.
3. No support system, no family, no friends. Being in this city has proven to me, I'm truely out there for myself. While I do have family I can call and talk to, in general I'm alone. I've been away from my base city man of times, but in the past it was only for a few months. This is actually the longest I've been away from my base city (8 months) and it could possibly extend to years. It's pretty stressful sometimes not really having anyone you can talk to. I took it for granted, but I've realize that it's really good for your mind to just chat it up with friends. But due to most of my friends being on the East Coast, my crazy work schedule, and me being on the West Coast, I can never really chat with my friends often.
I have come to realize that I'm having to manage a lot of stress and things at the same time. How does one manage this level of stress and not be absorbs by it? Any tips or suggestions? Thanks.
Does your company have an EAP (Employee Assistance Program)? If you aren't familiar with what the program is, here is a description from Wiki: Employee assistance program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The programs are usually pretty good because they have heard it all before because what you are feeling is not out of the norm for your situation. Wish I had more to offer but definitely find someone who can help you sort this out.
No I'm a contract worker, and my firm doesn't have those type of programs. They basically just give you a salary and maybe a few crappy benefits, and that's it. The client I work with doesn't offer that, so if I was ever converted permantly, I couldn't use that.
Second, call your family more often. Choose one or two of your family members to call each week. You don't necessarily have to tell them why, just start reconnecting to your loved ones. It is amazing how helpful it can be to just hear the voices of our loved ones and friends. It helps put things into perspective just lending them an ear at times. It takes our minds off of our own selves.
Get lots of rest. Don't drink alcohol, it is a depressant, eat good foods, don't overload on sugars and junk food. Do some form of exercise daily. When you are sitting there stressed, either watch some funny videos, tune into netflix and watch Terry Fader comedy ventriloquist...or some online humor. Laughter really is good for you. Get out for a walk, find a good local coffee shop...go out an soak up some humanity. Be healthy, and I hope you start to feel better soon. It could be worse, you could be going through all this and be unemployed or under paid.
There is also counseling if you feel overwhelmed and the activities aren't working. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength. I hope that you will be happier as you get acclimated and find friends thru like minded activities. Good luck to you.
Seattle is a great place to make friends. Just hang out at the same coffee shop on a certain day at the same time, and I agree to going to the gym. It is tough to be in a new place with out your old friends. I miss that sometimes. But I focus on my job, and making my life more positive.
Plan a vacation home in a few months, that will cheer you up to have something to look forward to...and when you get back, it may not be as fun as you remember...
Rescue Remedy
EFT
Massage
Prayer
Adequate sleep
Healthy, organic diet
Exercise
Fun
Positive hobbies and daily habits
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