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Would Americans get better healthcare results IF

Part of that is how stressful our jobs are. With the exception of Japan, no other country is close.

Stress does lead to weight gain and other medical problems. Having time off (and having to take it unlike the US where people "bank" time off) lowers that.

Anotgher thing is how easy to fire someone in the US versus how difficult and expensive it is in other countries. This leads to stress, eating and other disorders.

I also think it negatively impacts innovation in the US.
 
I think a lot of what US citizens currently think of as stress is just more of the pussification of America. So you didn't get invited to your so-called-friend's party, or you don't have enough cash to afford the unlimited data plan for your iPhone, or the McRib got discontinued again. That's not stress, that's life. Sack up and shut up.
 
I agree with all the posts re stress and work.

LK - I like your posts and I ask this with respect:

if your job is causing you to have to take blood pressure medicine, why do you continue to do it? Is it for the love of the work? is it for the $$ for your family? is it for some other reason?

I ask because I have been tossing the idea of completely changing careers, downsizing my lifestyle, and "enjoying the journey" more. I work a lot of hours and it gets stressful at times (I'm an IT manager) and I sometimes ask myself what the fuck i am doing it for.

I really want to take a manual labor job and be outdoors, working my body instead of carrying a stress load, maybe get more drumming gigs in local watering holes. I'm not on any medication and eat well and exercise very well, but damn Im toast at the end of the day
 
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WakeandBake said:
I ask because I have been tossing the idea of completely changing careers, downsizing my lifestyle, and "enjoying the journey" more. I work a lot of hours and it gets stressful at times (I'm an IT manager) and I sometimes ask myself what the fuck i am doing it for.

I really want to take a manual labor job and be outdoors, working my body instead of carrying a stress load, maybe get more drumming gigs in local watering holes. I'm not on any medication and eat well and exercise very well, but damn Im toast at the end of the day
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Good for you!
 
WakeandBake said:
I agree with all the posts re stress and work.

LK - I like your posts and I ask this with respect:

if your job is causing you to have to take blood pressure medicine, why do you continue to do it? Is it for the love of the work? is it for the $$ for your family? is it for some other reason?

I ask because I have been tossing the idea of completely changing careers, downsizing my lifestyle, and "enjoying the journey" more. I work a lot of hours and it gets stressful at times (I'm an IT manager) and I sometimes ask myself what the fuck i am doing it for.

I really want to take a manual labor job and be outdoors, working my body instead of carrying a stress load, maybe get more drumming gigs in local watering holes. I'm not on any medication and eat well and exercise very well, but damn Im toast at the end of the day
Click to expand...

This is sort of what Ms. Shorty and I decided to do years ago. I have not worked in a corporate environment since 2002. I have a small consulting company with two other partners and we pretty much take the gigs we want to take. All three of us work out of our homes in three different cities.

It's not that I'm rich, by any stretch. But my wife and I downgraded our needs - smaller, paid for house, less expensive cars, no credit card debt,etc. To us, it's not how much you have, it's how little you need. It's amazing how much less stressful life is when you don't don't need as much to get by.

If you can make it work for you, I'd go for it. Life is too short.
 
WakeandBake said:
I agree with all the posts re stress and work.

LK - I like your posts and I ask this with respect:

if your job is causing you to have to take blood pressure medicine, why do you continue to do it? Is it for the love of the work? is it for the $$ for your family? is it for some other reason?

I ask because I have been tossing the idea of completely changing careers, downsizing my lifestyle, and "enjoying the journey" more. I work a lot of hours and it gets stressful at times (I'm an IT manager) and I sometimes ask myself what the fuck i am doing it for.

I really want to take a manual labor job and be outdoors, working my body instead of carrying a stress load, maybe get more drumming gigs in local watering holes. I'm not on any medication and eat well and exercise very well, but damn Im toast at the end of the day
Click to expand...

You could move out by your bro and get a gig at a dispensary...or open one..
 
WakeandBake said:
I agree with all the posts re stress and work.

LK - I like your posts and I ask this with respect:

if your job is causing you to have to take blood pressure medicine, why do you continue to do it? Is it for the love of the work? is it for the $$ for your family? is it for some other reason?

I ask because I have been tossing the idea of completely changing careers, downsizing my lifestyle, and "enjoying the journey" more. I work a lot of hours and it gets stressful at times (I'm an IT manager) and I sometimes ask myself what the fuck i am doing it for.

I really want to take a manual labor job and be outdoors, working my body instead of carrying a stress load, maybe get more drumming gigs in local watering holes. I'm not on any medication and eat well and exercise very well, but damn Im toast at the end of the day
Click to expand...


Let me start by saying the high blood pressure is not solely due to stress. It's no secret that my weight has gone up over the years and it's contributed to the blood pressure issues, but high stress absolutely pushed it from being mild hypertension to some very risky blood pressure measurements.

Why do I kill myself for a paycheck? The simple answer is to provide for my family.

About 5 years ago we had our 2nd child (my first...our oldest is my wife's from a previous relationship) and a magic switch went off in my head. I started working harder than I ever have at my job. I went from putting in my 40 hours of time just to get by to putting in 60+ hour weeks. The financial rewards were immediate and my career has been on a fast track to the top ever since.

So a large part of why I keep pushing myself is that the upward trend in my career hasn't stalled out yet. I'm not bored, but I feel compelled to keep reaching for that next level. I still love my job and the rewards it brings, but at what cost to myself and my family.

I work at home and put in about 15 weeks a year on the road. One question I've asked myself is why the fuck am I wasting away in Winston Salem when we could pick up and move our family anywhere that has an airport nearby which would allow me to continue my current work responsibilities. Its definitely a consideration, but I'm not sure I would slow down and work less. It would just be new scenery with new stresses to worry about.

Ultimately, I'm going to have to pull back. We're very comfortable financially and we take 2-3 big vacations a year, but I can see myself being burnt out in a few years.

In summary, it's a combination of being very driven to take my career to crazy heights, but also financially driven in the sense that I want to keep my family well provided for. Could I take a step back and we adjust our lifestyle to account for the loss in earnings? Certainly. Do I want to? Nope, but the day will come when I do want to and I think we'll be comfortable enough for it to happen.
 
RJ - I hate it but I think my brother and his wife are leaving Southern California for Utah. I am not happy about it, RJ. and I still feel like an ass for not hooking up with you when I was out there. In my defense "Let's go hang around with my internet buddy" didn't sell with my traveling party at all. TJDK I guess... :p It's funny, the name 'wakeandbake' is fun and all that, and I have certainly had fun smoking it in my life, but marijuana is not central to my life at all. it's a pleasant diversion a couple nights a week. I am pretty boring - I spend my time with my wife and my dog and in my home studio tinkering with music.
Shorty, thanks - in college i worked on several golf courses in the summers. made shit money but played free golf, was up every morning at sunrise and was working hard before most people were up. i didn't think much of it as an 18 or 19 year old, but looking back I loved it. My mind was free of stress and my body was strong. I guess I need to find a way back to that. I'm a helluva landscaper if I say so myself...
 
There could be a lot worse things than a home studio near the beach.

Utah? I'm sorry. you can only ski so many months.
 
Liquid Karma said:
Let me start by saying the high blood pressure is not solely due to stress. It's no secret that my weight has gone up over the years and it's contributed to the blood pressure issues, but high stress absolutely pushed it from being mild hypertension to some very risky blood pressure measurements.

Why do I kill myself for a paycheck? The simple answer is to provide for my family.

About 5 years ago we had our 2nd child (my first...our oldest is my wife's from a previous relationship) and a magic switch went off in my head. I started working harder than I ever have at my job. I went from putting in my 40 hours of time just to get by to putting in 60+ hour weeks. The financial rewards were immediate and my career has been on a fast track to the top ever since.

So a large part of why I keep pushing myself is that the upward trend in my career hasn't stalled out yet. I'm not bored, but I feel compelled to keep reaching for that next level. I still love my job and the rewards it brings, but at what cost to myself and my family.

I work at home and put in about 15 weeks a year on the road. One question I've asked myself is why the fuck am I wasting away in Winston Salem when we could pick up and move our family anywhere that has an airport nearby which would allow me to continue my current work responsibilities. Its definitely a consideration, but I'm not sure I would slow down and work less. It would just be new scenery with new stresses to worry about.

Ultimately, I'm going to have to pull back. We're very comfortable financially and we take 2-3 big vacations a year, but I can see myself being burnt out in a few years.

In summary, it's a combination of being very driven to take my career to crazy heights, but also financially driven in the sense that I want to keep my family well provided for. Could I take a step back and we adjust our lifestyle to account for the loss in earnings? Certainly. Do I want to? Nope, but the day will come when I do want to and I think we'll be comfortable enough for it to happen.
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totally understand, thanks for the reply
 
RJKarl said:
There could be a lot worse things than a home studio near the beach.

Utah? I'm sorry. you can only ski so many months.
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yeah I'm bummed. Salt Lake City sucks ass, they used to live there years ago and she is looking to get back to U of U. they do have some land outside Moab with an airstream trailer on it----wonder if I could get the drums in that thing.....:D
 
WakeandBake said:
yeah I'm bummed. Salt Lake City sucks ass, they used to live there years ago and she is looking to get back to U of U. they do have some land outside Moab with an airstream trailer on it----wonder if I could get the drums in that thing.....:D
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Get electric drums and a head set :)

Maybe you could convert and be the percussionist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
 
Don't be like me!

Work stress is what led to my early retirement. I spent 17 years in a 24/7 job induced pressure cooker. The first 7 years were manageable as my colleagues and I found oddball ways of dealing with the stress, including convincing myself that stress was my friend...sort of a comfort zone. No stress meant I wasn't looking for the problems that had to be out there. I also came to the conclusion that I was blessed with an unlimited capacity for job related abuse.

Then I was named corporate president and the stress more than doubled. The pay/status was great, but I was now supervising the guys were were still around and I was no longer privy to their stress relievers (someone has to set the ultimate example). The remaining 10 years took a terrible toll on me emotionally, although my health seemed fine. I lost both of my parents during that time and realized after my mother's death that I was starting to wear down and that it was time to get out. My goal was to get things ready for the next guy over a twelve month period. I lasted 7 miserable months after that decision.

My advice is to pay attention to what your mind and body are trying to tell you. Recognize when it's time to move on or cut back. Don't be so sure you can really recognize when it's time. If you're starting to have the thoughts, it's probably time to act on them. I prided myself in being the last man standing of the original group of VP's, but I should have bailed three or four years earlier. At the time of my departure only one other of the original five VP's were working anywhere and that was part time. In the 3 months after I retired, I fielded three terrific offers for arguably better jobs. Unfortunately I was beginning to understand how damaged my psyche was and I turned them all down. I took comfort in being around more for my daughters' teenage years.

I'm 61 and have been retired for almost 9 years. For the first five years I had nightly dreams about work. It's down to a couple of times a week now and I look forward to the day they stop altogether (sure to have one tonight).
 
WFU71 said:
Don't be like me!

Work stress is what led to my early retirement. I spent 17 years in a 24/7 job induced pressure cooker. The first 7 years were manageable as my colleagues and I found oddball ways of dealing with the stress, including convincing myself that stress was my friend...sort of a comfort zone. No stress meant I wasn't looking for the problems that had to be out there. I also came to the conclusion that I was blessed with an unlimited capacity for job related abuse.

Then I was named corporate president and the stress more than doubled. The pay/status was great, but I was now supervising the guys were were still around and I was no longer privy to their stress relievers (someone has to set the ultimate example). The remaining 10 years took a terrible toll on me emotionally, although my health seemed fine. I lost both of my parents during that time and realized after my mother's death that I was starting to wear down and that it was time to get out. My goal was to get things ready for the next guy over a twelve month period. I lasted 7 miserable months after that decision.

My advice is to pay attention to what your mind and body are trying to tell you. Recognize when it's time to move on or cut back. Don't be so sure you can really recognize when it's time. If you're starting to have the thoughts, it's probably time to act on them. I prided myself in being the last man standing of the original group of VP's, but I should have bailed three or four years earlier. At the time of my departure only one other of the original five VP's were working anywhere and that was part time. In the 3 months after I retired, I fielded three terrific offers for arguably better jobs. Unfortunately I was beginning to understand how damaged my psyche was and I turned them all down. I took comfort in being around more for my daughters' teenage years.

I'm 61 and have been retired for almost 9 years. For the first five years I had nightly dreams about work. It's down to a couple of times a week now and I look forward to the day they stop altogether (sure to have one tonight).
Click to expand...

Great post.
 
RJKarl said:
ELC, the object for all buinsess is to either to create something that doesn't exist or to take what does and make it better.

Why can't we take something from other places that works and improve upon it?
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RJ, it's not like we don't get vacation time here, we just don't have it mandated by the feds. Vacation is treated like an incentive, where the offer of X amount of vacation time is a perk with the job offer. That is how it should be viewed and not as some basic human right like the Euros seem to think everything is.
 
EatLeadCommie said:
RJ, it's not like we don't get vacation time here, we just don't have it mandated by the feds. Vacation is treated like an incentive, where the offer of X amount of vacation time is a perk with the job offer. That is how it should be viewed and not as some basic human right like the Euros seem to think everything is.
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So you've never felt pressure to ingore your vacation time to make sure your job was safe?
 
EatLeadCommie said:
RJ, it's not like we don't get vacation time here, we just don't have it mandated by the feds. Vacation is treated like an incentive, where the offer of X amount of vacation time is a perk with the job offer. That is how it should be viewed and not as some basic human right like the Euros seem to think everything is.
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Or that it actually has a physical and mental affect increasing productivity and happiness.
 
At the company where my wife works, if they do not use their alloted amount in the calendar year, it is gone and not carried over. This does lead to people taking a lot of time off near the end of the year to use up what they have...

Where I work, I may carry over vacation to the next calendar year, but in that next calendar year, if my vacation reaches 150% of my yearly allotment (X hours per month for the first ten months), I accrue no more, so it behooves me to use it. I also get personal hours, which do not carry over. I like to hunt, so I take most of my time off in the last quarter of the year...

When I was in the US Army, we earned 30 days of leave a year, and it never expired. In 1995, I took the entire months of February and August off. Can anyone imagine doing that at an office?
 
Lowering the marginal tax rates would reduce stress. I'm sure they guys in this thread loved bustin' their ass and risking their health to give the government more money.
 
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