Snow and is stress killing us?

This week, we were hit with 20 inches of snow over 40 hours.  They were forecasting more, yet, as usual, the press sensationalized opinions to increase ratings.  Clearing a driveway was difficult as it was heavy snow.  This is another day in the life of a Minnesotan.

I learned that Minnesotan is a demonym.  This is the first time I have heard of that.  Demonyms are used to designate all people (the general population) of a particular place, regardless of ethnic, linguistic, religious, or other cultural differences that may exist within the population of that place.  Here are some samples:

Fayetteville, Arkansas – Fayettevillian

Fargo, North Dakota – Fargoan

Cary, North Carolina – Caryite

Apple Valley, MN – Valleyian

Duluth, MN - Duluthian

Nashville, Tennessee - Nashvillian

Back to life.  Life can be full of stressful situations, whether work, personal, or struggling with the impacts of a global pandemic.  No matter the source, a body responds in the same way.  People say it will kill me.  That is false; it doesn't directly result in death, but it can have serious health consequences over a length of time.

I have been trying to cope and stay on top of the stress. Of course, there are two types of stress: good stress (one I control, like a solid workout, learning a new hobby, and the like) and bad stress, which I have little control over. Both send hormonal signals around your body, causing an increase in cortisol and adrenaline. In the short term, it provides motivation, and this is okay.

 

However, long-term chronic stress doesn't have the same short-term motivational effects.

Cortisol gets toxic in high doses over a chronic period.  Weight gain in the gut, inflammation, breathing issues, Stomach discomfort, and high blood sugar become issues.  

 

As I have previously said, my work has become very toxic and high-stress.  It has become worse over the past few months.  My supervisor's boss constantly makes degrading comments to others about me and avoids me like the plague.  As a result, others are starting to avoid me as they do not want to get the same treatment I and a few others get.  We have had people leave without notice after the wrath put upon them.  There is no middle ground.  You are either the best friend or the ultimate enemy.  My supervisor does what he can but acts cautiously to avoid becoming the next target.

 

Some say, just leave.  Yet, I must get through this year to secure the potential retirement package.  Otherwise, I am concerned about the retirement years.  Yet this lack of leadership and toxic environment might decrease the retirement years I get.  It is a balancing act!  One thing that helps is writing about stress and life to help control what is essentially out of our control.

 

I have been getting some indoor rides using my Wahoo Kikr Core (it is not $300 less than I paid for it a few years ago) and Rouvy. Rouvy is an augmented reality program that makes the ride fun.  It is so natural that I have ridden some courses and then driven them later, and it was like I had been there many times already.  It is fun and will help reduce stress.  

I hope all is well in your world.  If I can make it to retirement, I know life will be much better if I escape the toxic environment I experience most days now!

Carry on, my friends, carry on!

Tagged by google

 I received an email from Google about a post from 2008.  It was tagged as inappropriate as the header was dirty girls.  It was about the gaters used by many ultra runners.  I changed the header, and they released it.  It can be viewed here:  http://runlondell.blogspot.com/2008/09/dirty-girls.html 

That was the highlight of the week.  I have been spending a great deal of time reviewing my retirement options.  As I had reported before, the work environment is at a high level of toxicity.  One supervisor seems to go out of their way to make employees, including me, feel terrible.  Is it an effort to get us to leave?  The only positive thing about going to work and doing my best is I know it irritates those who created the toxic environment.  It is like the world is now; you can say whatever you want as long as I agree.  Say anything else and risk ridicule, threats, or persecution.  It's all too bad, but it is a reality.

I have slowly bounced back from low Iron.  I no longer have a strong desire to chew ice, but I still have shortness of breath and fatigue.  It is a six-month path with oral supplements as the insurance will not cover the injectafir treatments, which were successful in 2017 and again in 2019 when I was low.  The follow-up is July 19.

I have been riding a little more.  Since January, the rides have seemed so HARD.  A few days ago, I found the relative intensity setting on my software (Rouvy) was set at 150%!  That explains why I questioned my conditioning going down the drain so fast.  I did a ride yesterday at the 100% setting, and it was gratifying; I did not feel like I died.

I did get my first SUPEr photo of a bird recently.  A Cooper Hawk was just hanging around in the neighborhood, and I got pictures without scaring it away.  A sample is below:

I will close with a good joke I heard.  A comb was the best gift for a bald man because he could never part with it!

Carry on, my friends, carry on!

I hope I live to retire

I have been struggling for a few years now. While this may not be the place to vent, writing my thoughts to stay sane is best! Most of my issues have been my employment stress. I have less than a year to get to the point where I can retire. I need to hold out a little longer!

My work environment has become so toxic that it impacts the entire team. Well, not the whole team, but a majority of them. It has gotten to the point that we cannot mention the name of a previous staff member the Director does not like or who faces petty treatment. It has gotten to the point that staff has made acronyms to prevent the superior from understanding what we are discussing.

We can't do our jobs as if we upset someone with "connections."  Otherwise, the superiors will take the connections' site and immediately blame the staff.  We are ordered not to take action even when we know an issue exists.  I had one case before the "Feeding the Children" fraud was discovered; staff was ordered to fast-track an application to allow the favored individual to continue the alleged outstanding service to the children in the community.  Most team members knew it was a fraud from the start, but the head of the Department ordered a supportive approach.  Two weeks before the State detected the scam, it was approved.  Once the arrests started, we never heard from the applicant again.

I take pride in my job, and that is now rare for the team. People are in it for the money; they rarely care about what they do. Many have told me to check out and make easy money for the year I must retire. I can't do it, but I am concerned it will kill me if I do not.

Where to go and what to do!!!

Carry on my friends, carry on!