WOW!

The stress level has been up significantly for the last 48 hours or so. Mainly due to work demands. If I could summarize the level of activity and the emotion tied to it I would use the classic quote from Dr. Egon Spengler (Ghostbuster)

Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

On the positive side I’ve been managing it quite well – or I feel that I have been. Who knows, I may be off, but still.

Chicago Bears…

Roughly a week ago I stated my thoughts on the massive loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and let’s face it, it was a blowout. The victory of the Cleveland Browns was UGLY. Sure, it was a win… against the Browns… but the level of play just goes to show how poor the team is right now.

One problem seen was how vulnerable Jay Cutler is. Being sacked 4 times in a game is going to really take a toll and goes to highlights weaknesses of the offensive line. You can best your bottom dollar other teams are paying attention to this.

Offensively the Bears could not convert. They only managed 2 touchdowns in 7 trips to the red zone. Going up against teams like Minnesota or Philadelphia will not be pleasant if this continues to be the track record.

From a defense perspective the team played well. While far from stellar, the efforts of the defensive squad should provide a confidence boost after the Bengals massacre.

Ford…

Did you see that Ford posted a $1 billion profit for the 3rd quarter?

Impressive.

While I would be willing to guess a portion of the results are due to the Cash for Clunkers it is a very positive sign in the face of GM and Chrysler.

Let’s not flick off a judge…

A bit of advice for someone who is going infront of a judge – don’t flick him or her off.

Kane Kellett, 24, landed in jail for six months after he raised his right hand, middle finger extended, before Judge G. Martin Zopp in McHenry County Court

Yea, good call on that one.

Here is a video/news story that I found to be quite interesting, and I would like to hear what you think of this story.  

Here is the high level overview:  A teen calls 911 because her father is having a seizure.  While talking with the 911 operator the teen uses vulgarity (presumably due to the duress she is under) but the operator has an issue with the language and does not assist her.

Here is the video, it’s roughly 4:30 long.

So, what do you think? Was the officers response appropriate?  Was the young woman in the wrong? Shouldn’t 911 operators be trained and prepared for such situations?

I don’t fault the individual making the phone call, she was under a great amount of stress.  Now, I understand that anyone can have a bad day, and maybe that was the situation the 911 operator was facing, but if that is the case he should have asked for a day off so that others would not have to deal with is inability to deal.

Your thoughts?

In light of the recent events of my life, I semi-expect the holiday season to be a bit rough for me.  I am not suggesting this is going to be a self fulfilling prophecy, rather I need to find a way to cope with the situation now – before actually going into the season.

Usually they are not bad for me, my big problem becomes I cannot stand being around so many people after going to so many family events.  That is an issue for me as I don’t want to be around anyone at all these days, so I can only expect the sensation to intensify.

Here are the emergency survival guidelines I’ve come up with in order to make it through this holiday season. 

1. Set time aside to be alone –  this means simply schedule in alone time so overload doesn’t set in.  Be it going out for Portillos or going to a movie, just get away.
    
2. Know your limits – If a break from family and friends is needed, speak up.  Be honest about the sensations, and communicate in a calm way, but don’t try to push through.  
    
3. Take a break – If aggravation sets in for some reason, any reason, take a break.  Exit the room for a few seconds, get away to a quiet area… anything… find a way to collect the emotions.
    
4. Get a gift – Really, go out and get something no one else is going to pick up.  Look at it as a bit of retail therapy.

Again, I am only thinking of a way to cope before it happens.  I am sure others are worried that the holiday season may kick a depressive episode into high gear. If that is the case, I hope you can leverage these ideas for yourself.

This is rather sweet on the part of Harvard Medical school – they are providing The Harvard Medical School Portable Guide to Stress Relief in both PDF and Website formats.  

Usually the medical reports cost about $20, so free content is a nice thing.  Download it, bookmark it and make use of it.

Today is not a good day…. it seems to be one thing after another going wrong.

Let’s first start with the frustration caused by a conversation I had this morning.

Sure, I understand that there really is not such thing as “common sense”, each person views the world from a different perspective, get it, but if there is something important to you – something you want – don’t you think you would find a way to obtain this thing? Don’t you think you would explorer all avenues? Don’t you think you would make every possible effort instead of taking a passive role simply hoping / expecting it would come to you?

ARGH.

Ok, next up on the hit parade was having my ATM card stolen. Long story but, really, is there much more that needs to be said than that?

Finally, if you run a business…say a BANK… that is dependent on phone systems for providing support don’t you think it would make sense to have said phone system working? I don’t know… but if a customer calls in, say to report an ATM card stolen, wouldn’t it make sense if your customer could actually TALK to someone instead of hearing a voice message saying “Our system is experiencing difficulty, please call back later”.

This is a very stressful day thus far.

I have never been a drinker, actually, I’ve been drunk in my 31 years on this planet. There are a whole host of reasons as to why this is but, in the end, the concept of “going on a bender” never appealed to me. Yes, I like a good beer once and awhile but never to the point of inebriation. Mind you, I don’t have a problem with people who get blitzed, it’s just not for me.

Anyway, Britain’s Department of Health has identified 9 binge-drinking personality types. If you are one who partakes in the drink, which category do you fall into?

• “de-stress drinkers”: those who use alcohol to calm down at the end of a hard day. Typically middle-class men and women;
• “community drinkers”: driven by the need to belong. Usually lower middle-class men and women, who drink in big groups;
• “hedonistic drinkers”: crave stimulation and want to lose control. Often divorced people with grown-up children, with exhibitionist tendencies;
• “macho drinkers”: tend to spend most of their spare time in pubs. Mostly men of all ages;
• “re-bonding drinkers”: use drink as a way of keeping in touch with friends;
• “conformist drinkers”: driven by the need to belong and seek structure. Typically men aged 45-59 in clerical or manual jobs;
• “boredom drinkers”: those who drink to pass the time and relieve monotony;
• “depressed drinkers”: craving comfort, or feeling of safety. Can be of any age, sex or socio-economic group;
• “border dependents”: these regard the pub as an alternative home. They visit regularly, at all times of day, weekdays and weekends. Tend to drink quickly.

(source)

At the risk of sounding like I am promoting binge drinking, what is wrong with having a drink to de-stress? Granted, if one ALWAYS drinks to de-stress I can see an addiction aspect, but occasionally doesn’t seem to be a bad thing.