What Are You Doing To Counter Your Work Stress?

Stress Free Zone

As regular readers know and as you can see on the right rail of this blog, I track some of my outdoor endurance activities.  In 2017 I had a banner year, I rode my various bikes about 6400 miles, the equivalent of more than twice across America. 

With running, paddling, and hiking added on I totaled more miles and hours than any year before.

And I was still working full time for three-quarters of 2017, all the way until October.  So after making the arrangement to dial back my work hours to 20 hours a week, I salivated at the thought of being able to ramp up my miles and my climbing time.

I remember thinking “2018 is gonna be the year that I take my fitness to a new level.  I’m gonna have time to really hit those goals!”.

So how’s it been going so far? 

Well, I have fewer miles than last year, that’s how.  Actually I’m well behind last year, especially in cycling.  I’m on track to ride about 5000 miles – still a great year, but well off my record year of 2017.

What happened?  With 20+ extra hours of free time each week why haven’t I crushed the miles?

 

The Counter Balance

My new free time is helping me figure things out.  I posted previously about how I’m slowly becoming more patient and less hurried.  That progress continues and it’s wonderful.

But my new semi-liberated status is revealing something more profound.  I’m beginning to realize that perhaps my high volume of endurance sport miles was just a necessity to counter the stress of my job.

You read that right.  I think I was often running, riding, and paddling away from stress.

Don’t get me wrong, I obviously love to do these sports and activities.  They’re cathartic, they make me healthy, they get me outside, and they’re medically proven to release all kinds of endorphins and chemicals that make me think clearer and be mentally healthier.  The science is solid, there’s no denying it.

Those of us who do them will tell you that they help relieve stress, in a big way.  Back when I was working full time I’d get home after a long day and stressful commute and immediately put my running shoes on or get on my bike.

And as soon as I took that first stride or turned that first pedal stroke, I’d start to feel the stress leaving my body.  The activities were like a ying and yang – the more stressful my day at work was, the harder and faster I would often run or ride.

After particularly nasty days at work I’d sometimes do hill repeats on my bike, which is one of the more intense workout types I do.  It is exactly what it sounds like.  I have quite a few steep hills near my house and I simply ride my bike up them as fast as I can until my heart is pounding out of my chest. 

Then I ride back down and do it over again.  And again.  And so on…. you get it.

Sometimes this gets comical as many of these hills are on residential streets and usually there’s a homeowner or two out trimming weeds or doing something in the yard.  They see me continually going up their steep street, seemingly going nowhere, sweating and breathing like I’m dying.  I’m sure they’re thinking “this guy is a few fries short of a happy meal…”

But au contraire mon frère, what I was doing was actually trying to get to happy meal status.  Not the fast food kind, but just the happy part.

Marla Taner was recently on the Mad Fientist podcast, and I really enjoyed her episode.  She had always traveled a lot and is noted in the comunity for being an expert travel hacker.  But she said she’s been traveling less and less in retirement.  On the podcast she made this comment which hit it home for me:

I think that feeling where you’re working and have a vacation…. that feeling you get when you’re on vacation is so exciting and it’s because it’s an escape from a stressful life.  But if your life is no longer stressful you no longer need that escape

 

The Fog Of Work

Way back in 2011 one of the early FIRE bloggers, Doug Nordstrom from The Military Guide did a post called The Fog Of Work.  It’s a takeoff on the term “The Fog of War” and I highly recommend reading it.

The premise is that work is kind of like war in that it puts you in a constant state of “fog” (although at least bullets aren’t flying, I hope).

In the post he writes:

There’s only one solution: whisk away the fog of work. Heads will clear after a couple weeks of naps, long leisurely walks, and family discussions. Instead of worrying about “now” or “dinner” or “tomorrow’s meeting”, the focus can shift to the future and a plan for getting there.

So without the constant always-behind rush of life that work forces you to compress into 24 hours each day, the premise is that the fog will clear and you’ll start figuring things out once you detox from work.

That is exactly what’s happening to me and I’m finding that maybe in my natural state I don’t need to ride my bike 6400 miles a year.

Shhhhh….. I hope my bike didn’t hear that 🙂

Instead of filling those extra 20+ hours with more miles, I’ve been creating.  I’ve been writing on this blog, creating graphic designs, and playing guitar more.

I’m just as happy with fewer miles, and less stressed because I’m at my W2 job way less.

Back in the day when I had a rare weekday off I’d always plan an epic 50 mile ride, or longer.  Now I’m happy with my usual 15 or 20 miles, a solid one hour workout. 

Of course I still do the occasional epic 100 mile ride or long run.  But I don’t feel compelled to do those monster sessions to burn stress and equalize my brain like I did before.  I do those on my own terms now.

 

Your Stress Killer

Unless you absolutely love your main job and would rather be there than elsewhere at any given time, it’s very likely that your job is causing you stress.  And it’s scientific fact that too much stress will shorten your life.

So I ask you this:  what are you doing to counter your work stress?

You may not know the answer, which is probably completely normal.

It could be good things like exercise, time with family, or woodworking.

Or it could be bad things, like overeating, drinking too much, smoking, or endless hours on the couch watching TV.

Most likely it’s a combination of things, some good and some bad.  We’re all human after all.  If I said I’d never drank too much to “take the edge off” a tough work week I’d be a blatant liar. 

And I’m not opposed to a movie here and there. 

But maybe the truth is that none of us really knows what our “natural state” is like while we still have the stress of work to deal with.  Because certain behaviors, habits, and vices probably exist solely to counter work stress. 

Your Turn AF Readers – Is there something you know you’re doing to mainly counter your work stress?  Is it a good thing or a bad thing?  Do you think you’d still do the activity if you didn’t have to work anymore?

*This article contains affiliate links. Using those links throws some change in my pocket at no additional cost to you. Here’s my disclosure.

 

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Dave @ Accidental FIRE

I reached financial independence and semi-retired in my mid-40's through hard work, smart living, and investing. This blog chronicles my journey and explores many aspects of personal finance including the psychological and behavioral factors that drive our habits.

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46 Responses

  1. Hamster says:

    I agree! I love cycling and running.

    I struggled with depression about 12 years ago and went to see a psychologist. He suggested regular cardiovascular activities instead of anit-depressants. So I started cycling (a lot!) and a few years later also running (long distances, like half-, full- and ultra-marathons).

    It literally saved my life. Depression is under control, fitness and health are great and I absolutely love being outdoors doing it!

    Great read, thanks for sharing!

  2. Mr. H&N says:

    I realized that when I have an stressful period at work I tend to exercise more. I would go to gym or for a run almost every day. I don´t use headphones so it really helps me to clear my head and reboot.

    When I´m on a long vacation, I don´t feel the need to exercise nearly as much. I find myself spending much more time reading (books, blogs, magazines, etc.) and just being with friends and familiy.

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      I don’t usually wear headphones either when running,I prefer to “hear” my body and be more connected to my heartrate etc.

  3. I definitelt use my creative side projects for release… Writing a book, running a website, and making goals outside of my main gig.

    I also work out at least three times each week and try to play golf at least once each week with my little girl.

    Having an outlet is super important. I used to worry about picking up extra shifts when I was off work… Now I couldn’t get enough time off to work on this other stuff. And I love that problem. It means I really want to be doing my side hustles.

    TPP

  4. Great post. Most of us never consider the subtle ways that working full-time affects our behavior outside of work. But it’s absolutely true – we’re constantly counterbalancing the stress of work, and not always in healthy or productive ways.
    In my own life, I noticed that my marriage significantly improved over the last few months, as my wife was off of work on summer break (she’s a school counselor). Part of the problem is that our life grows one-dimensional when we’re both working full-time and have little time together.
    Thanks again for a fresh perspective on work and its not-so-obvious effects!

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      Life growing ‘one-dimentional’ is a great way to describe what happens with work. Glad you like the post!

  5. stress is a killer – the long term effects are as bad as smoking or drinking or divorce!
    (although it often leads to all three!)

  6. Not much for running. For me it’s either a good hike or a creative endeavor like blogging or reading other blogs;)

  7. Joe says:

    I used to go to the gym at lunch every day when I was working. That helped a lot. I liked yoga a lot when I was stressed out. Now, I don’t do yoga anymore. It’s not necessary anymore.

  8. Great points here. I think the less you work, the less you need audacious goals on some level. You are more at ease.

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      Yes, and this is a big revelation to me. Audacious goals are maybe tied to work stress in some way

  9. Honestly, this pretty much sums up how my last year of transition to semi-retired and FI has been. I just feel more content and chill to relax around town.

  10. You are so right about the different desire for vacation. Now that we are retired, we enjoy traveling most when we are just completing something “work-like”. We originally planned to travel around now, but our rental is vacant and becoming a job. Yeah! Once it’s done, we’ll have another good motivation for vacation.

    BTW, I am amazed at the level of activity you manage, even on a lower mileage year. Wow!

  11. I am much like yourself, in terms of throwing on your shoes for a run after work!

    I am actually about to leave work in about 30 minutes, and head over to the lake near my house where I do my longer run (4.5 miles). It has always been the best cool down to stressful work days.

    Another great bonus to the lake runs is that I typically think of my new blog posts during the run!

  12. xrayvsn says:

    Wow 6400 miles of bike riding would be an impressive feat for a lifetime of bike riding for me let alone to do it in one year.

    I like your line of thinking that these stress releasing activities may actually be needed less when you remove the original stressors (W2 job) from the picture.

    I think my stress release has been the creative outlet my blog has created and playing guitar.

  13. Kimberly says:

    Great article. I can relate to a great “fog” from long-time stress of work. I enjoy weight-lifting, yoga, dance, running – – any exercise where the focus is on breathing/repetition or patterns to give my mind a break from it’s addiction to ‘thinking’ 😀 Loved your statement about the hills. Last night I went for a hill walk myself!

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      Getting my mind off thinking for a while is great indeed. I think I have an ADD brain and it needs to slow down sometimes!

  14. we’re in a similar situation with our newfound free time the past 14 months. there is less urgent need to travel as escape from a crappy job. the stress is way down but i found a little paralysis with so much free time. we got so efficient when time was tight that household chores could be done without thinking. hell, we could put out dinner for 8 people in under an hour and make it look easy. the machine got so well oiled that i do less with all this free time. i’m still sorting it out but i like a routine even with no scheduled demands and it’s a work in progress. having a dog is a good outlet in our house. it forces us outside even in crappy weather. i think it’s a puzzle that when time is scarce you put it to its best use.

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      i agree that even if you don’t have work stress that a routine can help. it puts some predictability or “expectedness” into your day. Without that I can wander aimlessly sometimes

  15. I’ve always been the complete opposite. With free time I can work out at my optimal time (between 8-10am) without having to worry about going into an office. But, the KEY is to have some sort of schedule. If you don’t, it’s easy to let time slip away. When I was working full time, having to go after work or VERY early was so hard for me. I just wasn’t my best, and therefore gained weight with full time work.

  16. Dr. McFrugal says:

    I enjoy my job a lot, but it can be stressful at times. To counter work stress I do several things: 1) exercise and work out; 2) hang out with family and friends; 3) travel; 4) relax / sleep / meditate.

    I don’t see these activities as an escape. They are things that I simply love to do.

    So if I didn’t have to work anymore… I absolutely still do these activities and I would likely do them even more!

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      Great to hear Doc, sounds like you’ve found the hobbies & activities that shouuld be in your ‘natural state’

  17. GenX FIRE says:

    My outlet is astronomy. There is something peaceful about looking up, and it’s a great break from the programming that I do every day for a living. Granted, I am also a runner, but I am an often injured runner. That is the part that is difficult. Every year or two, I manage to sprain something or worse; this year it was a tear to a tendon in my foot. While the injury itself is not a big deal; just a boot for 3 months, and then PT to help restore function, the lack of my stress relief is a problem. The injury has also prevented me from using my astronomy equipment, and even using that of friends. There are astronomy clubs all over the world and people love to share; my club, one of many near NYC, meets once a month in a park where we encourage anyone to join us to share our toys. Bust my foot, and I can’t really stand long enough to view, nor lift my toys to view.

    So when I am well, I have many outlets, but when I am injured, I have to find my others. Surprisingly, playing a video game with my 4 year old has filled the bill. Its just a distraction, but it works.

    • Accidental FIRE says:

      Cool! I’m out here in the Sierra Nevada mountains right now and just climbed Mt. Whitney! The night sky has been unbelievable – there’s no humidity and we’re at altitude. We can see satellites and ever star imaginable!

  18. I can feel the stress melting away when running and biking though the forest, but nothing helps me reset like being on the beach with my family at sunset. It’s the closest I get to truly living in the moment.

    Life is all about balance. I’m not surprised your miles went down when your work hours decreased. I’d bet if you fully retired you wouldn’t need unwind time – you’d need wind up time. You may create new busywork for yourself in an attempt to reset the balance in your life. We all need a reason to wake up in the morning.

  19. Oh this is absolutely me – though not just with work stress. Running is also my anxiety relief, so it’s not surprising that the first time I ever ran 13 miles in one go (when I was wondering if I could run a half marathon) was during a particularly stressful time that bridged both my work and home life. I do love running, but I love it more when I don’t have to put in a good hour or more before I’ve outrun the anxiety.

  20. I started lifting weights and working out about 6 months ago. I think it’s really helped me destress a lot. Somedays when I feel myself not getting much done, I’ll work out and afterwards find myself way more productive.

  21. bill says:

    Take a close look at your dog. If your dog does not get enough exercise, your dog will get neurotic. Ask any dog trainer. Suspect all mammals are like this. Yup…

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