Recognition

[bjarvis]

I've just been sitting at my desk, feeling vaguely unsettled. Well, more unsettled than usual. I'm figeting, I'm doing a number of repetitive, compulsive actions, I'm switching very rapidly between a handful of trivial tasks while not completing any, I'm feeling a little light-headed and distracted and my insides are a-flutter.

Then I recognized what was going on: it's a classic case of stress and anxiety. Lord knows what my blood pressure must be like right now.

Outstanding tasks cause me stress. I have a deep-seated need to see projects completed. When there I have more than a dozen projects outstanding, I start worrying about missing details, deadlines or critical snippets of communication. At the moment, I count nearly three dozen active projects at work, at home, involving square dancing and involving my career path. Estimated completion times for most of these are months or years away.

Worse, I'm on-call this week. Yesterday was the day from hell and while it hasn't been too bad yet, one never knows when the pager will start screaming bloody murder, possibly continuously. I hate that kind of uncertainty as it impedes my ability to rally my resources as efficiently as I'd like. On the good side, at least I'm off the pager Thursday night. On the bad side, I have to work this weekend anyway.

Financials weigh heavily on me. I'm acutely aware of my retirement savings nose-diving with the markets. And my employer's share price evaporating, taking my prior years' bonuses with it. And the possibility of a long, slow-burning recession. Realistically, I have nothing to complain about when so many others are vastly worse off than me but doesn't reduce the emotional drag.

My sure-fire cure for stress is an action plan, so here it is:
- get more sleep. Sadly, I'm booked most evenings this week but I can reset my hours again beginning Sunday night.
- consume less caffeine. It's not the friend it used to be.
- stay focused. For the moment, I'm largely ignore everything happing after the end of the month to free up resources to deal with current problems.
- delegate more. I'm going to pass around some of my office tasks to the rest of the team so they can feel the love. They can pass tasks back again when I'm no longer on-call.
- decline additional projects. "No," isn't something I say a lot, but it's time to make more use of it.
- go watch some clouds. I think I'll spend a chunk of my lunch break staring at the sky and practising breathing for a while.

Comments

[kent4str.livejournal.com]

You forgot:

- lean on the husbands.

We're here for you, babe, like you've been for us. Let us know if we can help!

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

cuyahogarvr is already keeping me fed and clothed. You scratch my back for me before I go to bed each night. It all helps.

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

Right now, the best I can do is say
"I Love You."

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

And that's more than enough to keep me going. Love you too!

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

These all sound like good plans!

[bradferd23.livejournal.com]

My goodness my dear boy... Slow down that wee brain... Don't worry about your retirement plan. It will bounce back. Now is the time to put more moola into to it. Weird thinking, but tis true. Don't worry about your dear employer. There is really nothing you can do but show up to work with that lovely smile on. Tough, but I know you can do it. Second, your bonus stock. You never know where it is going to go. Keep it and joke about it. Remember $100 is better than $0. I know you have lost 98% of this fantastic contribution, but again, there isn't a thing you can do. :) It is troubling, but in about 4 years, I think you will see your retirement will be quite a bit more than it is now. (yes, I have lost quite a bit... but we will see what happens...)

Last... BIG HUGGS! and a BIG CUDDLE!

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

I've been antsy myself for the past 3 weeks as well. I'm wondering if some of it isn't the weather changing to a degree.

It's as if I'm carrying around a heavy weight in my chest at times, body gets antsy and I have felt slightly depressed, sound familiar?

I know some of it is frustration of getting my best friend to respond and get ahold of his contact at Bellevue CC so I can move forward on the second phase of the longer term employment picture so I can further improve my financial lot as things continue to get more expensive these days.

I do think there is a palpable undercurrent of concern on both of our parts as it comes to the short and longer term aspects of our employment/financial situations

[faghatesgods.livejournal.com]

I find lunchtime trysts make afternoons less stressful :)

[rfrench.livejournal.com]

Caffeine is a huge one. About 10 years ago I started getting panic attacks, stopped all caffeine consumption, and they went away. Then after I retired (the first time), I decided to try it again since I was less stressed, got a little farther, started with the anxiety again, and gave up caffeine for life. I've heard many people tell similar stories. Caffeine is a drug, and not a good one.

[rootbear.livejournal.com]

Brian says, "Outstanding tasks cause me stress. I have a deep-seated need to see projects completed."

There is no possible way we could ever live under the same roof. Or work together. My house is a temple to the Unfinished Project. My boss yelled at me Monday (with some justification) because some of my projects are taking forever to get done.

It's an ADD thing. "I'm almost done with this... oh, look, a squirrel!"

I envy people with your kind of focus and discipline. You should embrace your intolerance of the unfinished for the asset that it is.