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How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

theguardian.com

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Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#2
TL;DR:

Football manager: Be careful about your information diet. Stop bringing everything home. And... alcohol? =\

Headteacher: Policy of being calm and non-confrontational. (But how?) Runs, which is therapeutic. Spends 5 minutes reflecting every day.

Concilator (?): Represent the best side of both sides of the conflict. Seek common ground. If there's anger in the room, it's not me: "people are angry because they're not in control. I'm in control." Also, gardening.

Diver: 1 month work, 2 months off. Watches Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Swims and surfs on his time off.

TV Guest Booker: Be organized, treat it like a game. Always another show tomorrow, don't get too precious about it.

A&E consultant: Yikes, his life is the toughest. Have people around you who can share the burden. Focus on what you love, rather than the burden. Changed hospital to something that's a 12 minute walk away, allowing him to play with his son more. Cites it as hugely beneficial.

Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#4
post #3

Saturation diver: risk of death A&E doctor: risk of someone else's death TV booker: risk of a guest not showing up Doesn't really compare, does it?

Not from an outside view I would say. But when we are talking about the subjective perception of stress, it might as well be that the stress as perceived by the diver or the A&E consultant is not proportionally higher.

Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#5
post #3

Saturation diver: risk of death A&E doctor: risk of someone else's death TV booker: risk of a guest not showing up Doesn't really compare, does it?

Yeah, it's morbid-funny to take the TV booker's advice and apply it to the diver and doctor. "Don't get too precious about it."

Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#6
post #3

Saturation diver: risk of death A&E doctor: risk of someone else's death TV booker: risk of a guest not showing up Doesn't really compare, does it?

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/06/13/minor-stressful-even...

"mildly stressful situations can affect our perceptions in the same way as life-threatening ones"

The article is a bit foggy, but I think it gets the point across.

Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#7
post #3

Saturation diver: risk of death A&E doctor: risk of someone else's death TV booker: risk of a guest not showing up Doesn't really compare, does it?

It does compare. People have a MIN and a MAX level of stress, and unfortunately they usually calibrate these to the most stressful situation they usually encounter: the TV booker will feel the same level of stress when a guest is not showing up that the diver feels when he knows something went wrong and he's probably going to die.

The key is realizing that unfortunately this is your natural tendency, to set you MAX to the most stressful situation you usually encounter and to work against this natural tendency: just image how much worse things could actually be, think that you or your loved one or your children could die or be severely mutilated and incapacitated for life today in a mundane car accident that will not even reach the news. Go even further next: meditate a bit on how big the world is and how many horrible things are in that could really hurt you and the ones you love, and then go even further, think about how big and dangerous the universe is and how small and powerless you are and how many cosmical catastrophes could negate our civilization's entire existence. This will make you feel worse, but it will help you calibrate your MAX to a more appropriate level and help you a enjoy a stress-free life.

Next time you feel stressed to death, try googling some accidents stats, some deaths from cancers stats and maybe some violent crime stats (if you're in the USA). Then meditate a bit on the scale of things: ( this might help: http://htwins.net/scale2/ ), and trust me, it will really do you good!

...unfortunately the article misses this advice entirely.

Re: How I stay calm, by people with very stressful jobs

#10
post #7
post #3

Saturation diver: risk of death A&E doctor: risk of someone else's death TV booker: risk of a guest not showing up Doesn't really compare, does it?

It does compare. People have a MIN and a MAX level of stress, and unfortunately they usually calibrate these to the most stressful situation they usually encounter : the TV booker will feel the same level of stress when a guest is not showing up that the diver feels when he knows something went wrong and he's probably going to die. The key is realizing that unfortunately this is your natural tendency, to set you MAX…

Maybe that's true to a certain extent, but I have to think fear of death is on a whole 'nother level.
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