Stress isn’t a me thing anymore?

Times have changed over the years. I had a stressful Local Authority job for 37 years and as the years went on and the ladder rungs I climbed, I realised how stressful it was all becoming.

So, at the age of 55, ‘fortunately’ (in hind sight, not at the time) through the Conservative Government’s ‘helpful’ (not) tightening on public funding and the squeezing of budgets, I was made redundant.

A blessing in disguise. Tried for more ‘stressful’ jobs at other employs but after some time and again the stressful interviews attended without success, I gave up applying for employed jobs and eventually established my own gardening business. (More on that later in further articles)

But the main point is that all my stresses eventually fell away following my redundancy, and it showed me just what the effect of such a job can have.

So I have for nine years been self employed and loving everyday of it.

However, I am really concious of being in situations which are more stressful to me. Perhaps as my life has changed to a more stress-less lifestyle, when more stressful events occur then my stress levels skyrocket and I really feel anxious and agitated to be in these situations.

Take a visit to a local supermarket on evening of 23rd December 2024….a visit to collect prepacked Christmas food for Christmas Day….the supermarket was heavingly busy even at 7pm. I was expecting that….even parking the car was traumatic possibly due to me really knowing what it would be like in the store…..I was the one pushing the trolley whilst it was being filled by others. Wherever I stood with my trolley in hand someone would reach over to get something from the shelf behind. So, I was always in the way. Even when I did wait at the end of an aisle where there was a blank area, an elderly guy tried to reach for something behind the trolley and I politely said “there’s nothing there, it’s a blank wall!” I think he was on auto pilot going around the store and must have thought, ahh there’s a trolley stopped, there must be something behind it!

I could feel my stress levels getting worse so decided just to track my blood pressure on my watch….

And there it was, the evidence!…. It was only one supermarket visit yet it’s effects on me we’re quite profound. Needless to say all’s returned to normal as soon as I left the supermarket as I would expect it to!

I do need more of a stressless lifestyle nowadays and do refrain from putting myself in situations where I will be stressed but it is impossible to do every day!

So, all in all, stress isn’t a me thing anymore!