Stress Help

[yeye]

Meditate it may sound stupid, but it truly helps. It helped me with anxiety, and it should help you to. Just put on some meditation music(just look it up on YouTube) and close your eyes and go deep within your thoughts. It should help you

[Larry of the Lawn]

It sounds like the end is in sight. I'd reassure myself that this is a temporary gig, and try not to let your shitty employer's stress and anxiety transcend the employer/employee barrier. Just do your job competently, and if they want to scream and bluster, let them. The fake cigarette break is a good idea.

You can also freak them out to get some breathing room. Bring a blender in and make yourself a smoothie everyday. Also get a pet hamster and keep it on your desk. After a week, sneak the hamster home but leave the cage, and leave a red colored smoothie in the blender all day. Anytime someone comes buy mumble something about 'raw protein' and take a sip.

And when you're done there, it sounds like you'll have a much better idea of what you want to do, or can stand doing for the right $. Every job has a price where the stress is either worth it or it isn't. If you can be a fair judge of that, you're half way there.

[ElizabethB.]

I'm trying to limit the alcohol consumption (I've proven with other things in my life that I'm susceptible to overdoing things, and that is one I don't want to let get out of control). The thought of two more months of this shit is almost more than I can handle.

It sounds like you both hate your job but that you are also proud of being very good at it...

What you write about alcohol kinda worried me. So, how much and how do you drink, really?

You seem smart, so with a degree and experience I hope you can find a job you really love!

[Lummel]

Hi Everyone.

Does anyone have some good tips for dealing with stress. Right now, I'm in a job I hate with every fiber of my being. I had to call my parents today just get the strength to not quit before going into work tomorrow (Sunday). I went home "early" Thursday (7:30), but otherwise I haven't left before 10 during the week since December. I'm at work between 8 and 9 every morning. I've had one Sunday off since New Year.

Needless to say, I'm in a bad spot emotionally. Hell, my manager sent me home "early" on Tuesday after telling I was clearly depressed (early being 10:30pm, and he spent the whole 30 minutes beforehand telling me I'm only a Staff, and that it only gets worse from there as a motivational pep talk).

I just wanted to know if y'all had any tips for handling stress in your lives. I'm kind of desperate right now to get into a better place.

There are two kinds of answers to your question depending on what kind of a life you want.

If you consider that on your deathbed that living a job you hate for the whole of your working life was a worthwhile and sensible use of your time then it is a matter of accepting things as they are and looking for the coping mechanism that works for you. Try some kind of physical activity: running, yoga, climbing, competitive speed ironing, whatever works for you. Or don't just do something - sit there and try meditation. Or you can seek professional assistance of some kind. There is no one right answer, different things work for different people, you'll have to try and see what works for you, while bearing in mind that not everything has immediate effects.

Alternatively if you would not like to be on your deathbed after a life or even a long time of doing something like this then you have to change what you are doing. The good news, for you at any rate, is that you can find some kind of accounting function in pretty much every business throughout the developed world. There are alternatives out there without having to learn new skills or drop out of your profession.

The issue is really about your values, is it worth putting up with it, and if it is - then for how long? Are the conceivable rewards worth the possible risks? Personally your work life imbalance sounds like a concerted and prolonged act of self-hatred and abuse, while being booked in for another year is a true wooden spoon.

Of course one can look at eating a lot of manure as a sign of determination, moral worth and inner strength, however at the same a pile of manure is still a pile of manure however much of a gloss you put on it.

[zelticgar]

This is one of the "man up" post Peter said was coming - As i was reading this thread I started to guess what the job might be, oil field worker? some kind of construction? and then it comes out you are an accountant :)

I get it now, its tough sitting in that cube all day crunching numbers. Getting in the office by 8am, having to work over the weekend. What if the air conditioning breaks or the coffee machine stops working? Its really stressful! Just for context, i work in corporate HR, fair amount of stress and pressure but every once in a while the window cleaner guys bang on the outside of my building and i look over at them hanging outside on the 10th floor cleaning windows all day and my stress just disappears when i realize, no matter how bad my job is, I'm not the window cleaner guy.

Some practical ideas - look at your sleep patterns. in my experience the people with high stress generally skew towards being night owls. Make sure you get at least 7 hours a night and go to bed as early as possible and wake up early. Maybe instead of getting in the office by 8am, start arriving at 7am. Start working out or working out more. Eat well, no processed foods, only chicken, fish, veggies and fruit.

On the job front, get out of accounting and look for a job with a company as a financial analyst. FA's generally get assigned to maintain a budget for a particular division or department within a company. Its more collaborative and less stress than working at an outside firm and the really good FA's often get a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions on the direction of the dept or division they support.

[Arkhangel]

Exercise. Keep it under control, because it is something which is easy to get a bit obsessive and addicted to if you're that sort of personality (I am) but it's the best, healthiest, most rewarding form of stress relief out there. You burn off your frustration, you improve your health so long as you're not overdoing it, and you look great. Triple win.

Also yeah, change your avatar. If this thread hadn't made it clear you're an adult, I would have assumed you were about twelve and still giggling every time you heard the word 'sex'.

[peterbound]

(yes, that's my paraphrase of your response. Feel free to argue but don't expect me to give a shit about any objections you make.)

Then why tell me to respond?

So he needs to grow up and accept being in the work force, what's the problem with that?

Also, you pretty much said the same thing I did, but in a different way. I mean, if we're all about paraphrasing, we both came to the same end, so what's the big deal? I think your 'interpretation' of what I said might be a little off. Hell, I thought I had a good conversation with the guy.

[Larry of the Lawn]

I get it now, its tough sitting in that cube all day crunching numbers. Getting in the office by 8am, having to work over the weekend. What if the air conditioning breaks or the coffee machine stops working? Its really stressful! Just for context, i work in corporate HR, fair amount of stress and pressure but every once in a while the window cleaner guys bang on the outside of my building and i look over at them hanging outside on the 10th floor cleaning windows all day and my stress just disappears when i realize, no matter how bad my job is, I'm not the window cleaner guy.

Hah! Getting paid to clean windows hundreds of feet of the ground sounds fucking awesome to me. But the thought of sitting inside at a cubicle gives me hives. It's all about perspective.

@OP - Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, another great stress reliever if you're strapped for time is smoking weed.

[peterbound]

Hah! Getting paid to clean windows hundreds of feet of the ground sounds fucking awesome to me. But the thought of sitting inside at a cubicle gives me hives. It's all about perspective.

@OP - Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, another great stress reliever if you're strapped for time is smoking weed.

Ya, I could never be in a cubical farm. That would drive me nuts.

I have to ask again, is accounting where your heart is? Does it pay well? Are you willing to put up with the heartache for the money? Will getting another job, in another place, make a difference? Isn't Chats an accountant? Maybe she can help give some perspective.

/Chat Summon Spell

[JonSnow4President]

It sounds like you both hate your job but that you are also proud of being very good at it...

What you write about alcohol kinda worried me. So, how much and how do you drink, really?

You seem smart, so with a degree and experience I hope you can find a job you really love!

Friday and Saturdays, generally two drinks with 2 shots of whiskey each, once I'm in and not going out again (so about 4 drinks). It's enough to get a good buzz and help me relax a little in the 4 or so hours I have before bed, but I won't do more (unless it's my birthday).

I get it now, its tough sitting in that cube all day crunching numbers. Getting in the office by 8am, having to work over the weekend. What if the air conditioning breaks or the coffee machine stops working? Its really stressful! Just for context, i work in corporate HR, fair amount of stress and pressure but every once in a while the window cleaner guys bang on the outside of my building and i look over at them hanging outside on the 10th floor cleaning windows all day and my stress just disappears when i realize, no matter how bad my job is, I'm not the window cleaner guy.

Some practical ideas - look at your sleep patterns. in my experience the people with high stress generally skew towards being night owls. Make sure you get at least 7 hours a night and go to bed as early as possible and wake up early. Maybe instead of getting in the office by 8am, start arriving at 7am. Start working out or working out more. Eat well, no processed foods, only chicken, fish, veggies and fruit.

I appreciate the perspective. It's not necessarily the job that's stressful, it's the hours, and the inability to do any of the things I've done my whole (young) life to cope with stress. I had one day last week I was walking out as an early-bird was coming into work for the client. I was back in my desk at 9, working until midnight the next night.

Ya, I could never be in a cubical farm. That would drive me nuts.

I have to ask again, is accounting where your heart is? Does it pay well? Are you willing to put up with the heartache for the money? Will getting another job, in another place, make a difference? Isn't Chats an accountant? Maybe she can help give some perspective.

/Chat Summon Spell

I'm not a fan of the particular job I have within accounting, but I like accounting in general well enough. It pays well enough out of school for me to live completely on my own, pay off a truck note, and set some money aside. Long term, I know I need to get out of this particular job, and into another. Like someone above said, I know making it to that year mark is kind of the respectable minimum to start looking for another job, and from April - June, I can do a job I hate for 40-50 hours a week and get by just fine. It's the intermediate 51 days left with a handful of hours through the week I'm not working/sleeping that I'm just trying to make suck a little less.

[dog-days]

Don't know nuffin about accounting, However, I have left jobs I hated after the contracted time was up, having lasted through a yearly contract in each case. Am now in a different field and much happier for it,

Tips for dealing with stress:

1. Plan for the future. Start by considering the job you have, and your own personality. Do you need to change fields completely or stay in the same field with a different company? (Rhetorical questions, you've already addressed those points. But they were very important ones for me.)

2. Buy a real paper calendar with happy pictures on it. I had one with rabbits. It would probably be something different for you. Write things you're looking forward to on the calendar, in particular, the end date of your contract. If that's the only thing you're looking forward too, find more stuff fast.

3. Do something creative/constructive in your spare time. I take language courses. If I had more money, I'd do more courses. I also like cooking with my favourite radio station playing in the background. Nothing dramatic, just nice.

4. When work is getting you down, remind yourself that you need good references, because you're leaving soon. You may do better work/seem more enthusiastic, and it reminds you that 'this too shall pass'.

5. Get some kind of low maintenance animal(s) to look after. Not something that needs lots of time and company, since you won't be there a lot. But something apart from you to care about. Or just get a Peace Lily. Whatever floats your boat.

6. I liked cycling a lot, but I realize that may not be very practical outside of Soviet Europe with its many cycle tracks. Not sure what the Texas equivalent would be. Take an interest in local history and geography and go to visit anywhere that sparks your interest?

[deleted01]

snip great advice

Lummel! Where you been, man? :cheers:

Stress is a bummer. I couldn't deal with such long days all the time, I need my relaxation time. One of my favourite things to do is catch up on TV shows, especially on Sunday nights. Such a simple thing, to make time for oneself, and yet so rewarding.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Don't know nuffin about accounting, However, I have left jobs I hated after the contracted time was up, having lasted through a yearly contract in each case. Am now in a different field and much happier for it,

Tips for dealing with stress:

5. Get some kind of low maintenance animal(s) to look after. Not something that needs lots of time and company, since you won't be there a lot. But something apart from you to care about. Or just get a Peace Lily. Whatever floats your boat.

If you're going to get an animal or plant for your desk, and you don't want to go the hamster/blender route, DO NOT get a peace lily. Spathiphyllum are stinky stupid plants. There all sorts or other cool low maintenance plants to get for an office situation. There are some really cool sanseverrias out there beyond the normal ones you see everywhere. You could also go functional with an aglaonema or cordatum, or pretty much any philodendron, which are great air purifiers, removing all kinds of toxins from the air. NASA brought aglaonema and cordatum on the space shuttle for this very reason.

If you're in Texas, you can probably get some really badass succulents at a local nursery. Or if you really want to go out in style, just bring in a bunch of armadilloes. They can carry leprosy so you might want to check local laws about bioterrorism though.

A snapping turtle could also be awesome.

[Wise Fool]

You're an accountant, you make enough to get buy, so quit bitching. Few people like work, that's why it's called Work and not Fun. Too many hours of work, you say, not enough downtime? Fair enough. But hours of work translates to more money. I wish I got enough hours to not have enough time to contemplate the despair of my existence.

[MercenaryChef]

You're an accountant, you make enough to get buy, so quit bitching. Few people like work, that's why it's called Work and not Fun. Too many hours of work, you say, not enough downtime? Fair enough. But hours of work translates to more money. I wish I got enough hours to not have enough time to contemplate the despair of my existence.

a bit of a dickhead response, dude.

on topic:

a lot of hours is rough. i know how it is. i work no less than fifty hours per week, typically 60, often 70. and i do it on salary. but, i do something i really love. i think i actually have the best job in the world.

the key is work/life balance. when you are not at work try to not let work come into your mind or actions. chefs tend to hang out with our own. i stopped that about five years ago. i try to have friends who are not in my industry. do things out of work for you. do things you enjoy.

if you really like the accounting biz stick with it. at least try to find a place to do it that you like better.

good luck!

[Xray the Enforcer]

But hours of work translates to more money.

Not when you're salary.

[peterbound]

CHING! I am here :) Wow, the summoning spell worked great.

Yes, I am an accountant. A CPA, to be exact, working at the Director level in SEC Reporting, which is a job I love incredibly. It's so cute that our protagonist does not enjoy 50-60 hours a week. I work 80 when we are filing the 10-K. It was 80+ working for the Big 4. I was 158% utilized. If you are in accounting, you know what that means; if you aren't, it means I did the job of 1.5 people, when 1 person was expected to work about 2,500 hours in a year. I worked from 8 am to 2 am every night. Everything I drank was caffeinated, and I did almost have a nervous breakdown, and spent some quiet time doing partner tax returns for 3 months during tax busy season before sitting on a beach in Mexico and calling that corporate recruiter back.

Right now, JonSnow, you are "paying your dues". You should expect these hours, and, frankly, if you stick with accounting in any stripe (corporate, tax, public, SEC)...it will get way worse before it gets better.

I love my job. For me, technical accounting research makes me the "smartest person in the room". I've had my position on accounting issues accepted by two of the Big 4, on consultation (and lost one that I still feel bitter about, but it was good fight). Filing a 10-K is better than chocolate, strippers, booze, or sex...though I am liable to indulge in all of those after we file.

In fact, we file quite soon!!!

This does not sound like the life for you. Frankly, you sound like my ex husband, also an accountant - a bitter man who felt his only avenues in life were law or accounting, and went with accounting. He woke up every day and hated it, but it was all he knew how to do, and he earned decent money by any national standard in doing it, so he felt locked in.

It was one of the things that destroyed our marriage, along with his jealousy over my success.

If you stick with this career, you will need to love busy season. You will need to own it. The boring times of non-busy are when we work out, go shopping, and do all the things other people do to relieve stress.

Your thoughts?

hmmm, makes me think.

I'm never one to bemoan the current generation of 'entitlement'. I think older generations have been coming up with shit to hate about the 'up and comers' since Caesar crossed the Rubicon. But this conversation got me thinking. Do you find this to be a widespread phenomenon with folks coming into your profession?

I like the idea of 'paying your dues' and it seems to be something that most folks coming out of school don't seem to want to do. We just fired a dude from my peer group for just that reason. Wanted the same type of respect the senior guys got, but didn't want to put in the time.

Wondering if it was something you see in your field.

Also, seems like the OP is suffering from this.

[JonSnow4President]

CHING! I am here :) Wow, the summoning spell worked great.

Yes, I am an accountant. A CPA, to be exact, working at the Director level in SEC Reporting, which is a job I love incredibly. It's so cute that our protagonist does not enjoy 50-60 hours a week. I work 80 when we are filing the 10-K. It was 80+ working for the Big 4. I was 158% utilized. If you are in accounting, you know what that means; if you aren't, it means I did the job of 1.5 people, when 1 person was expected to work about 2,000 hours in a year. I worked from 8 am to 2 am every night. Everything I drank was caffeinated, and I did almost have a nervous breakdown, and spent some quiet time doing partner tax returns for 3 months during tax busy season before sitting on a beach in Mexico and calling that corporate recruiter back.

Right now, JonSnow, you are "paying your dues". You should expect these hours, and, frankly, if you stick with accounting in any stripe (corporate, tax, public, SEC)...it will get way worse before it gets better.

I love my job. For me, technical accounting research makes me the "smartest person in the room". I've had my position on accounting issues accepted by two of the Big 4, on consultation (and lost one that I still feel bitter about, but it was good fight). Filing a 10-K is better than chocolate, strippers, booze, or sex...though I am liable to indulge in all of those after we file.

This does not sound like the life for you. Frankly, you sound like my ex husband, also an accountant - a bitter man who felt his only avenues in life were law or accounting, and went with accounting. He woke up every day and hated it, but it was all he knew how to do, and he earned decent money by any national standard in doing it, so he felt locked in.

It was one of the things that destroyed our marriage, along with his jealousy over my success.

If you stick with this career, you will need to love busy season. You will need to own it. The boring times of non-busy are when we work out, go shopping, and do all the things other people do to relieve stress.

Your thoughts?

Can't love busy season, and the rest of the year did a piss poor job of making up for it which was the whole pitch in recruiting. I work for one of the Big 4 right now. Right now, we're doing the US subsidiary of a CAC 40 company. Before that was a giant Oilfield services company to finish out some foreign subsidiary audits (a month of busy season in September is so fun). The only one I legitimately enjoyed was helping out the American team of a certain foreign oil and gas giant with some of their environmental claim provisioning. Not surprisingly, it was by far the best managed of all the teams.

My utilization is similar right now. They actually send ours out in a report that shows the local office average for your level, which I'm significantly above. (Read in a study once, monkeys were fine doing a task for free, but the second you started paying them inequitably, they freaked out.)

I'm a hard worker. At work, I strap on and deal with it outside that one bad night. I've come to the conclusion that I value a certain amount of free time. One of the reasons I have been overwhelmed internally is the " if you stick with accounting in any stripe (corporate, tax, public, SEC)...it will get way worse before it gets better," although I know the oilfield service, Oil giant, and the CAC 40 company (also related to oil, although construction side) has me thinking I need to find another job long-term.

You're right, I'm not built for the busy season. I don't want to let it get to the point where I am like your ex-husband. I have a solid GPA from a damn good school, so I'm hopeful I can find a job where I can earn a living without the crazy work hours for a significant chunk of the year. If that means a paycut from what I make now, so be it.

Kudos to you for loving it though. Some people are able to. I'm not one of them.

[JonSnow4President]

hmmm, makes me think.

I'm never one to bemoan the current generation of 'entitlement'. I think older generations have been coming up with shit to hate about the 'up and comers' since Caesar crossed the Rubicon. But this conversation got me thinking. Do you find this to be a widespread phenomenon with folks coming into your profession?

I like the idea of 'paying your dues' and it seems to be something that most folks coming out of school don't seem to want to do. We just fired a dude from my peer group for just that reason. Wanted the same type of respect the senior guys got, but didn't want to put in the time.

Wondering if it was something you see in your field.

Also, seems like the OP is suffering from this.

I don't demand the same level of respect as my Senior, let alone the manager, Sr. Manager, or Partner. The senior is working right alongside me. The manager is supposedly doing it (although it's amazing how often one of his other teams thinks he's with us and not). The Senior Manager regularly works until 3am.

I have no problem paying my dues. I don't consider a ridiculous work schedule, with no days off for months at a time, only for it to stay the same ridiculous work schedule every January-March until I retire to be something worth paying for.

[all swedes are racist]

Just gonna second weed and hamster milkshakes