Anyone have a stressful job?

hurleycutie142

Questions of the day... Having a stressful job can not only drain you physically but also mentally... How do you have the strength to workout? Or how do stay away from stress eating? And how do you stay away from office food that may not be healthy?

cwgrant67

I work out as soon as I get home. I don't buy unhealthy foods. If I buy a treat for my three boys preteen and teen age, they know to keep it out of sight of me. Though mostly I can resist except pizza! I am a teacher so I am all the time getting baked goodies. I usually just save for my own kids but I will fake it or take a bite when pressed. At potlucks, I will try to bring something healthy. Most us eat well so not too hard.

Nads36

Yes, I agree about how stressful jobs can drain you...so much so I stopped excersising and resorted to bad eating all because I always felt I should be working and 'catching up' with things...never taking time out to excercise. I gained 33lbs since starting my new job in January! I have just finished week one and have lost 5.5lbs - weigh on on Monday's. My biggest worry is when I go back to work that I don't let the dieting and excersising slip! I too am a teacher...we can do this...motivate each other to keep active. .which will help with our stress levels! Good luck!

zolly786

I guess I could have what people consider a stressful job. I'm in healthcare, and I work shiftwork.
Thankfully, the ward I'm on is full of healthy eating people. I'm the junker in the crowd. I started here about 6 months ago, and gained 25 of the 50 I'd lost. I'm back on the wagon, and down 12.

I take the stairs (I work on the 8th floor), I try to bring healthier foods- tonight was salad, a smoothie, and a protein bar. And I had some of my co-worker's smoothie. Way healthier than mine. Matcha and hemp and flax and spinach and banana. Mine was whey powder, greek yogurt, and berries.

dutchandkiwi

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

Questions of the day... Having a stressful job can not only drain you physically but also mentally

Yes it can. It can sort of suck out all energy and all you want to do is shut out the world afterward.

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

How do you have the strength to workout? ?

In part it is habit. For me walking to and from work turned out to be the best step I could have taken. By the time I get home work is really gone from my system. I know I am lucky in that respect. Having said that it took a lot of mental will power to start doing it and building it from where it was. After all it is nearly an hour walking both ways. There are faster ways to get home.

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

Or how do stay away from stress eating?

By not having stress eeating food in the house. Honestly that is the best step I took. These days I can handle it much better as my stress eating favourites are now tomatoes, cucumber and gurken. Easy not to overcalorie on those.

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

And how do you stay away from office food that may not be healthy?

By taking and eating my own. I am lucky in that my company provides a fruitbox twice a week. From my desk I can see the goodies table. Always sweets and chocolate on there. For me what helps is that I just don't want to log it, nor do I want to lie to myself by having it and then not logging. So really not having it was and is the only way. As I always say; No is an acceptable answer. It is offered I am under no obligation to accept.
It has led to some discussions, but they know now that I simply will refuse. If that hurts their feelings than that is their issue not mine.

Hiro_Protagonist

I try to keep my hands busy during lunch...

https://youtu.be/dTuvmQNiO3w

bubble_wrap0428

I feel working out relieves the stress I accumulate from my jobs! Also if I workout it makes me more motivated to stay away from bad food and stay on track! Physical exercise is a cure all for me at least. Sometimes you have to push through if you feel drained just go do it and see how it makes you feel after you accomplished so much.

JeromeBarry1

Work for money or work for free. It's your life either way.

reinventingjessica11

I've started working out in the morning before work. It does mean I have to wake up earlier but it's definitely worth it in my opinion. Aside from that I bring all of my meals and snacks to work. When I don't I try to go out and pick up something that meets my goals for the day.

jemhh

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

How do you have the strength to workout?

I enjoy working out and find it to be a stress reliever. I am much happier when I workout than when I do not.

Or how do stay away from stress eating?

I'm more a boredom eater than a stress eater so (fortunately) this is not a problem for me.

And how do you stay away from office food that may not be healthy?

When I stand back and look at what is in my office, most of the snacks people bring in don't appeal to me. I try very hard to eat foods that serve a purpose for me (fulfilling my macro goals, giving me energy, and providing some sort of enjoyment.) Don't get me wrong, I do like treats (see my last requirement.) It's just that, in general, the crackers and cookies that people set out do not match those descriptions. I'm like an Ebeneezer Scrooge with my calorie budget and will not use it on things that I don't actually want to eat. I'd rather save my calories for an ice cream night with my husband and daughter than a mediocre cookie at my desk.

leannems

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

How do you have the strength to workout?

I schedule my workouts for my lunch break. I'm very lucky that even though I have a high-stress job, that they let me get away with this. I know this isn't an option for everyone. I also pay a lot for a trainer - he makes me pay him up front, each month. If I blow off a workout - he keeps it. Funny what a motivator money is.

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

Or how do stay away from stress eating?

This is probably the hardest part for me. After a really tough day, the willpower to eat well is hard. Sometimes I give in, but try to minimize it (for example, 1 donut, not 6). I prefer to try to substitute stress eating for something else - Pokemon Go is a good "reward" for me in lieu of stress eating (you can knock it if you want, but saying, I'm stresssed, I'm going to spend 2 hours walking around and catching Pokemon is way better than eating a bag of Doritos); I also will sometimes use retail therapy. Basically what works for me is acknowledging that I'm stressed, and that I need to "treat" myself with something in lieu of food. A massage, a pedi, a small item from sephora or ulta. If I'm strapped on cash, a hot bath, at home mani/pedi, my favorite movie, pokemon go, or anything else that's fun and free.

hurleycutie142 wrote: »

And how do you stay away from office food that may not be healthy?

I avoid the break room when I know there's treats in there. It's best to just not even see them. I have a big enough workplace that I don't have to wait too long until it's all gone. I also bring my food most days, even if I know I may go out for lunch, because I want some healthy backups. I typically always have some fruit on hand, and yogurt or cottage cheese, in addition to my own breakfasts and lunch. Having a safety net, really helps. I also try not to indulge in an office treat unless it's REALLY, really worth it.

Michie112g

As the summer vacation is coming to an end for me and entering a classroom setting it set me into a frenzy. Summer routine of exercising and eating healthy has help me lose 10 of 40lbs. I just hope once school starts I can continue my routine with just a few changes.

daworley

I have a stressful job, as well, and I work 9 hours every day (including my lunch break, I eat at work and am available). I workout more or less as soon as I get home and use that time as my transition period; I look forward to it as a way to transition from work to home each day. My advice, which in the past I truly hated to hear, is to find something you enjoy and makes you happy. The reality is I tried different things and surprised myself by finding something I like and can stick with. It has made the biggest difference and has become such a help with relieving the stress. Good luck to you. Oh, and I eat a small, healthy snack within an hour before working out.

paigeg150

I have days that I am brain dead when I get home so I'm sure to work out in the morning before work. Also, to avoid binges or just taking the easy road with dinner... I listen to motivation podcast on my drive home. I like weight loss nation and tiny leaps. I highly recommend podcasts. It helps me stay motivated and reminded of why I'm doing this! Good luck!

chaney3000

I got a pretty stressful job (firefighter) too so I use working out as my outlet. And the temptation of the fire house cooking is ever present. So I bring my own food.

My crew is cool and they are now trying to become healthier so they don't give me too much of a hassle. They actually are putting a little effort into eating better too. I still can't eat with them because they still use butter and etc...

Finding the time is priority for me. If I'm on shift I try and do stuff all day long. Pullups, push ups weights and whatever. Plus I'm usually up all day anyway.

Having the strength is just a frame of mind for me. There has been times when I would not sleep any and I would go bang out a run before I crashed. It wouldn't be any PRs but I would have at least put in the effort.

Stress eating doesn't really bother me as much. If I'm craving something crazy, I usually try and find the healthier version to get some satisfaction. Like if I want sweets, I try and find like some fiber one sweets. Sometimes, I just eat the sweets and make adjustments to my daily.

My motivation is this, the number one killer of firefighters is heart problems. And my physical fitness has saved my *kitten* twice now in a house fire so, heck yeah I'm going to put in that work!

NaturalNancy

Working out helps me to relieve stress from the work day.
If I'm mentally worn out, drained and stressed out from work, I force myself to work out.
Makes me feel better every single time.

Emelade

I used to have a stressful Job. I would take my daughter for a walk after work. I noticed that even if it was a short walk, it helped make me feel better. Walks are great. One of my favorite forms of exercise. I normally have a fitbit and I used that to help motivate me to get to 10k steps a day.
Can't wait to replace the one I've broken!!

deadliftsandnoodles

You have a pretty face

ellencruz

Love this post and 100% can relate - this is what I've been struggling with too!
I've been working so many extra hours I've completely put off putting in time at the gym. Thankful for all the posts and tips here!

Would love to try and keep each other motivated if that's what you're looking for - friend me and let's do this!

healthy491

I can really relate to this , in my case its school and studying though. I wake up a bit earlier in the morning , squeeze in a 30 minute elliptical or stationary bike workout ( moderate effort ) and make sure I burn 200 calories. After I come home , I eat and get another 30 min elliptical workout and make sure I burn 200 calories again. Apart from that , I usually go for a relaxing walk at the end of the day which usually takes 30 mins-1 hr .
Im not a big fan of strength training so I only do some squats , sit ups and maybe some bicep curls.
My advice would be : Find something that you like and that works for you and that you can do long term
Trust me , I started several exercising routines which were boring and didnt work for me !

JDMac82

I use the stress as fuel to workout. Pound the pavement, slam the weights. Channel, redirect and refocus. I'm an instructor for the army.

jenilla1

In the early days of my career, exercise definitely helped to relieve the stress. Especially getting out in nature and exercising! I think that's probably going to be one of the most effective ways to fight normal work stress. You can stop reading now and skip the rest if you just have normal work-related stress. No need to continue on.

Of course, if you have extreme work stress, the kind that's actually wrecking your health, the only cure is to change jobs/careers. Sometimes people end up in the wrong situation and it can be destructive if they try to stick it out in an environment that isn't right for them. I was one of those people who picked the wrong field and then stubbornly stuck with it until it became toxic:

I had invested a great deal of time and effort into my education and training for this particular field, so I felt trapped. (It's so hard to acknowledge defeat and cut your losses.) I had ended up in THE hell job and it almost destroyed me. I was good at it, but I think I gave too much of myself and let the stress get to me. I was so busy just trying to survive the day to day stress that I wasn't able to do much else. There was no time or even motivation to take care of myself. All I could do was just get through the day, and then move on to the next and the next and so on. Ugh. My job paid very well, but my emotional well-being and physical safety is far more important than money. What's the point of making a lot of money if you're miserable? I only get one life and I intend to make it as pleasant as possible. So when it got to the point that both my mental and physical health were deteriorating, I saved my life by retiring young (in my late 30's.)

Luckily, I am a born cheapskate and had invested most of my income over the years wisely, instead of spending it all and living paycheck to paycheck like most of my peers. I guess that requires some level of sacrifice for people who are motivated by materialistic pursuits. It's no sacrifice for me, though. I have continued to live a modest, yet comfortable lifestyle, but without the hell that was my former job dragging me down. Now I do what I want, when I want. And that includes lots of fitness opportunities and time spent in the great outdoors. I swear I reverse-aged at least a decade after quitting the rat race. I regret nothing.

TL;DR: Sorry if that was long-winded. I guess my point is that sometimes it's appropriate to reevaluate your career choices in the interest of your own health and well-being. Even if it might require some sacrifices.

hurleycutie142

deadliftsandnoodles wrote: »

You have a pretty face

Thank you

hurleycutie142

As for me i work in human resources and to some it might not seem stressful but with my position requires 15 hours of work that need to be done in 8... i feel like i work my butt off all day the last thing i want to do is work out... and i have been letting myself use that as an excuse for the longest... also i dont have time to eat so i tend to find the nearest snack (chips, candy, soda) to give me that fuel im looking for... i really want to take this post and use some of your advice what to do in your situation...

Another thing i am working on is going to the gym right when i get off of work... i used to go to the gym 3 hours after i got home and what it did was allowed me time to relax and then i would get into a lazy mode and not want to go...

This week im going to start juicing... i want something that will help me with rushing out the house...

athletic_pro123

Transition well everywhile , try meditation once to twice a day , it's a great refresh and helps with cravings so much ,personally tried

Fi_Ry14

I definetely feel you. I am a full time firefighter/EMT. I work 24 hour shifts, and when there's downtime...we eat. These last few weeks, I really wanted to kick it in gear. I'm trying harder to eat healthier work out more. My mates are helping me out as well but since I rotate with 48 hours off its all on me. Feel free to add me, I'll be beside you all every step of the way.

Psychgrrl

I bring my food to work and make sure I get some treats--like Halo Top ice cream and yogurt with fruit (Oikos Banana Cream--YUM!). I workout right after work--I change at the office and go to yoga, running or gum cardio. I'm the boss in my office and it sets a good example for my staff as well.