…does not for good blogging make.
Truthfully, in this economy, I can’t complain too much. I have a decent job and it pays a decent salary.
That said, I can’t deny that it’s a little hard not to be jealous of the friend who got laid off, then headed out of the country for a month. Especially when sitting in a noisy server room reading his descriptions of tropical beaches.
Doesn’t stress me, though. Kinda makes me laugh, actually.
Which isn’t to say I haven’t been stressed a bit of late. Management seems to have that effect.
Strangely, I didn’t even actually recognize that I was stressed. I finally realized it after looking up the symptoms to heartburn, which I’d never had before, but was suddenly suffering from after every meal, no matter the dish. Considering that, the lousy sleep I’d had, and the fact that I was walking out of work every day with a neck as sore as if I’d been in a headlock, it kinda hit me.
Even though I wasn’t actually feeling stressed, my body was telling me that I was. I was letting work drive me nuts.
I’m not going to go into exorbitant detail here. Sufficient to say it’s the classic IT conundrum: what management sees as being important (a software program, for example) isn’t always the same thing I see as being important (the server the program runs on, for example). It’s a bit like someone wanting to fix up their car and have it run perfectly, while I’m telling them the bridge over the river is about to fall down: no matter how well the car is running, it ain’t gonna make it over the river.
So even though I’ve been working my butt off (coffee break? what’s that?), I’ve made a decided effort to be less stressed. Mostly it amounts to letting go. Do what they ask, try to keep everything else running in the mean time, and let the chips fall where they may.
Only problem is: I’ve got about 10 posts dancing around in my head, begging to be written…
The GeekHiker 
Every time I’ve told my self to be less stressed … it stressed me out. 🙂
I also wonder how your friend will feel when they gets back from their month off and can’t find a job. I doubt you will be envious then. I wish him/her luck.
By: Homer-Dog on May 5, 2009
at 6:36 am
I feel like when I don’t have the TIME to sit down and blog, that is when I have about 10 million ideas for posts!
And to be honest, there is always a little part of me that’s jealous when someone I know gets laid off. I know I should just be really grateful for my job security but I can’t help but think about how I would use my time off. Simply enjoy sleeping in for a couple weeks or maybe take the opportunity to backpack through Europe for a month.
But then I realize that if it ever actually happened, I’d probably be too stressed out to even enjoy not having to work!
By: Little Miss Obsessive on May 5, 2009
at 6:49 am
I wouldn’t worry too much, people tell me they’re jealous because I’m in school. Job security has it’s ups and downs. It really does. I thought I had a great job, I was making my own hours, getting lots of stuff done….
…till I got laid off.
Be patient, things will pick back up and you’ll wonder what you were worried about.
By: Melinda on May 5, 2009
at 7:49 am
10 posts begging to be written…sounds like a job for Twitter
By: Phil on May 5, 2009
at 9:16 am
Do yoga, SERIOUSLY!!! When I have the time (and patience) to do it, it always helped, esp. in the neck and back areas. You don’t have to be a guru to benefit from it – just simple Yoga-ish stretches will make you feel better, esp. for sedentary workers like us.
With that said, I haven’t done it for a while and I want to do it now! 🙂
By: k on May 5, 2009
at 12:39 pm
People just DON’T get tech stuff sometimes. Even tech people! Good for you for letting it all go. Then when the server melts down, you can calmly say, “I tried to tell you guys…”
By: Mel Heth on May 5, 2009
at 3:07 pm
You remind me that I needs to hugs and loves my IT guys but mine are significantly more socially awkward than yourself. Plus there’s that whole case of swine flu thing.
By: thecoconutdiaries on May 5, 2009
at 5:02 pm
Does your work offer massage therapy? You could maybe substitute your non-existent coffee break for a half hour massage. If that fails, you may fly me out to Cali for a weekend and I will massage your neckular muscles while you work. Please tell me you are not a two-finger programmer like my X. He has crazy neck problems because he won’t bother with typing lessons. Idiot.
By: Mrs Chuck Bartowski on May 5, 2009
at 6:27 pm
I hear ya. It seems that since the economy tanked, we’ve been working harder and harder, longer and longer. I actually got laid off several years ago…I drove around and slept on friends’ sofas and went camping for three weeks…it was actually quite fun.
By: hebba on May 5, 2009
at 7:11 pm
My policy for stress at work is simple: stress doesn’t solve anything, whether you stress or not, things are going to be what they are so, lets try and be organized and efficient on the areas where we can and let go of the rest.
By: narami on May 5, 2009
at 9:28 pm
I’m seeing my IT guys today. If I had time and wasn’t so stressed from the continual computer crashed I’d make them cookies in your honour.
No, really… 😛
By: just a girl on May 6, 2009
at 7:00 am
Homer-Dog – LOL, same thing happens to me sometimes
Little Miss Obsessive – Yeah, I’m not really complaining about working… too much… 😉
Melinda – I’m sure you’re right!
Phil – Now, you know my thoughts are way too long for twitter…
K – I’ve thought about yoga. And not just because so many of the people in the yoga class at my gym happen to be cute girls. Really.
Mel Heth – Yeah, but I’ll have to tell them after I fix it!
TheCoconutDiaries – I’m not sure how I would react to hugs, to be frank…
Mrs Chuck Bartowski – Massage? Really? Come on out!
Hebba – Hmmmmmm
Narami – It’s good advice that I try to keep reminding myself of…
Just A Girl – You can send the cookies to me instead, you know…
By: geekhiker on May 6, 2009
at 9:55 pm
Please let me know if just deciding to be less stressed actually contributes to being less stressed. Knowing me, I’d be stressed about trying to be less stressed.
By: Dingo on May 6, 2009
at 9:58 pm
you just have to tune out work the second your work day is done. i know it’s harder than it sounds sometimes, but don’t let it follow you home.
also, can you give me some of those dancing posts? because lately i feel like i got nothing.
By: blakspring on May 11, 2009
at 12:03 pm