What The Most Dangerous Job In The World Taught Me About Coping With Stress

I just got through reading some troubling news in the New York Times this morning.

62% of employees now say that work-related stress leaves them overwhelmed and overtired.

And for many of us, who bring work home from the office, the problem is even worse.

So what’s going on?

Why are most of us so stressed?

I’ll tell you what a major part of the problem is… lack of job security.

I remember as I was growing up, my father only had two jobs. He was a high school teacher for the earlier part of his life, and later on he went into the real estate profession.

Two jobs, and they spanned his entire lifetime!

And the one career change he made was something he wanted to do. He didn’t make the change because he was losing his job as a teacher. In fact, the school district wanted him to stay.

But that’s a far cry from the way things are today. In fact, the days of job stability, and working for a single employer for your entire working career are long gone.

You’ll probably change jobs at least 11 times before you retire.

Downsizing, rapid business expansion and outsourcing are terms that we’re all too familiar with.

Before I got involved in the health industry and started my own indoor air quality business back in 1996, I’d already held 5 jobs in 5 completely different industries.

I worked as a telecommunications technician (in the Army), as a framer, on the green chain at 2 separate lumber mills, as a farm hand and finally as an Alaska fisherman for seven years (which was the hardest and most stressful job I ever had).

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “You must’ve been a problem employee”.

But the fact is, nothing could be further from the truth.

I was in fact a model employee for every company I worked for, and never left a single employer on bad terms.