Retired July 1, 2018 Stress Freer and Healthier.

Stress Freer and Healthier

This spring I decided enough was enough. My workload had been too much for 3 plus years. Each time I looked for support from management it seemed I was handed 1/2 of a bandaid to work with. I really wanted to end with 30 years but 29 years of nursing would have to do. Far too many days of overtime and missed lunches.
I could not have felt better. I started cycling again. Blood started moving to places forgotten. People asked how does it feel to be retired? Still not sure how to answer that. Time will tell. Three weeks after stopping work I had to have a wack of blood work done. For the past few years my liver enzymes were slightly elevated. Nothing drastic just a bit up. My family physician sent me to the liver specialist because there were elevated a couple of times in a row. She follows guidelines and that is why I love my GP.
The liver specialist reviewed the blood work with me and everything was completely normal. Huh!
They told me not to come back. I left with the biggest smile on my face and knew that work stress had played a major role in this health issue.

Second thing that I noticed was I was not taking a TUMS for a sleeping pill at night. I had just enough heartburn for the past year or so to have stomach discomfort that TUMS relieved. I am no longer taking them.

The third thing I have also noticed was no more teeth grinding (Bruxism) at night. If there is some, I am certainly not noticing it. This was actually the first symptom of stress before the other two. My dentist noticed how worn my teeth were getting and I even cracked a tooth. He suggested wearing a hard plastic mouth guard which was so uncomfortable for me I did not wear it often.

The fourth thing that happened this year is a small spot appeared on my neck. It started out as a pimple but did not go away. I would forget about it, but it would be itchy. I would scratch it and it would bleed a bit. One day I had a look at it and it was funny looking. (Thanks to a few before me having this symptom I took it seriously). I had it removed this summer and the dermatologist was sure it was basil cell carcinoma. I received curettage and electrodesiccation which is a sharp tool called a curette, used to scrape the cancer. Then the area is treated with an electrical current which destroys all the remaining cancer cells. This was done with a bit of freezing right in the doctors office. I was reassured there was no further treatment required.
The Canadian Cancer Association has lots of information on this.
www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/skin-non-melanoma/treatment/basal-cell-carcinoma/?region=on

I have certainly had other things that caused stress in my life. You cannot go through life without having some. We can learn to cope with stress. We learn to get along in this world and take the good with the bad. Stress can even be good for you. Here is an article about good and bad stress with coping options  by Fawn Hansen. You should check it out.
https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/bad-stress-vs-good-stress/
Below is a quote of the definitions of stress.

"Good stress is also known by the term eustress, and is a type of mild stress that people experience on a regular basis. Instead of debilitating them, it will inspire and propel them to complete a given task or goal. Instead of being harmful and detrimental to the body, it has been proven that mild bouts of eustress have been shown to actually enhance and improve cognitive brain function. Crucially, it only manifests itself for a short period. This refreshes the body’s fight or flight response without prolonging and weakening it.
Bad stress can also be termed as distress, and manifests itself in a chronic or ongoing stress that begins to hinder your everyday life and stops you from completing tasks that you need to undertake."


The last thing I want to leave any reader with is this little true story.
When I was about 4 years old our neighbors bought a swing set for their children to play on. They had a little boy about my age who was out swinging on the new set. Oh how I wanted to give it a try. I asked him if I could try out the new swing set. He said I could only if I showed him my belly button. It was a weird request but I showed him. After a few minutes I didn't want to swing any longer. It didn't feel right that I had to give him a show of my belly button just to play. I got off that swing set and never went back on.
My work was getting like that for me. I didn't feel right doing that job. They wanted more of me than it felt right to give. I stayed until the very date I could retire with an un-reduced pension, and that was it. I was not going to swing on that swing set any longer.
Of course I still have stress, some good and and some bad, but my liver, teeth and stomach are thanking me. I recommend you do yourself and your health a favour, when something doesn't seem right it probably is not. There are lots of other places to play and you don't need to play or work in an area that is not healthy for you. I am not suggesting you leave yourself without a job or income but search for something that will not cause you "Bad Stress".
Also look for ways to cope with what is on your plate. Be aware of what stresses you are under in order to cope. Take time for you to get exercise even if it is just going for a brisk walk. My summer stress relief is cycling. Find yours and good luck!

Dog Wisdom - Please let me sniff at things when I am out for a walk with you. This is important dog stuff that humans cannot always understand. Humans do important human stuff that dogs don't understand but we still let you do it.