To be baffled by how everyone on MN claims to have a really stressful job

[T1nah]

Or their DH does. Or they both do.
What exactly is so stressful about your jobs? Does everyone work in Intensive Care or are you being a bit dramatic about the pressures of your job?

I work in retail now and love it as it seems so stress free in comparison to previous jobs I've had. There are colleagues who are stressed but they've never worked anywhere else. It's all about your own threshold and experiences.

My job isn't stressful. Occasionally quite busy. The odd day stressful.

The people? Bunch of blood pressure raising, palpitation causing arsewipes.

Exactly what @RedPanda2 said.

What Broomstick said!

I must read different bits of MN because I'm always astounded at how many MNers are sahms.

I don't have a stressful job. I'm a teacher and I bloody love it.

I'm self employed and although my job is dull rather than stressful, I really feel the pressure of being the sole earner in my family. It's still better than retail or catering though (and in both of those jobs I was punched in the face, sworn at etc regularly).
I find dealing with the public stressful, so I only do it indirectly now. If a customer sends an arsey email, I at least have the chance to have a cup of tea and think about a reply before I have to deal with it. And nobody punches me, which is always a bonus!
I think that there may be a background level of uncertainty at the moment which is affecting a lot of people. When so many people are uncertain about their futures, it adds to the general stresses of everyday living and makes decision making and planning harder.

My job isn't stressful as there is never a ridiculous amount of work or stupid deadlines, the work is mostly very interesting, it's a small organisation and my colleagues and clients are very nice. No-one expects you to work in the evenings or on holiday or to check your phone outside the office and I always leave on time. I feel valued and that I have a great deal of control about my role and where it is going. Also it's only 3 days a week so I have a nice balance.

I was stressed in all previous jobs as this is about the only workplace I've been in that hasn't had at least one person who made it quite unpleasant to be there at times or was a general pain in the arse or where there wasn't at least one or more things that made the workplace toxic - over-competitiveness, too much work, stupid deadlines, macho corporate culture, disorganised boss or colleagues, expectations stupidly high, long hours, presenteeism...etc.

I have a stressful job, I make daily decisions about public protection and whether someone had their liberty or not, in an industry ravaged by government cuts and subsequent under staffing and a lack of resources. However I have a family member who works in a shoe shop and says she has an incredibly stressful job, it's subjective.

I worked in front line benefits for many years. That was stressful, daily threats and aggression. I would wake up each day with dread at what would happen.

Prequelle I've worked in a hospital and I've been a patient on one of those acute admissions wards. It was shocking. I thought the young doctor on duty was going to cry he was so overwhelmed with very poorly / confused patients.
On the other hand I worked with nurses in specialist roles. Some of those were the sort who would come into the office and sit chatting for so long we had to politely tell them we were busy.

DH finds it stressful when he's expected to be doing three different jobs in two different places at once as well as dealing with customers who, due to staff cuts, can't find a member of staff to help them.

He also often works all day with no breaks, rarely leaves on time and we have no idea if the company will still be going in a year.

All jobs have the potential to be stressful. All jobs seem to be paid less and have less hours to do them in these days. If someone leaves my work they don't get replaced and everyone else is expected to cover. Part time work and/or having to leave work on time to pick children up can also be stressful as you have to be constantly organising yourself around your hours.

DH does, he is a naval officer
I'm an artist, as far from stressful as you can get

As discussed yesterday, the new buzz word is anxiety, taken to mean lack of resilience and copability as opposed to an actual stressful situation

^I've worked in a hospital and I've been a patient on one of those acute admissions wards. It was shocking. I thought the young doctor on duty was going to cry he was so overwhelmed with very poorly / confused patients.
On the other hand I worked with nurses in specialist roles. Some of those were the sort who would come into the office and sit chatting for so long we had to politely tell them we were busy.^

I feel very sorry for some of the junior doctors covering acute medicine, especially on nights on call on their own. Multiple wards, hundreds of patients, being expected to make such huge decisions. I don't know how they do it.

Previous jobs have been very stressful, mostly due to other people, not the work itself. Now I work alone and part-time and I don't have to deal with people. I don't manage anyone and I don't have someone managing me. It's nearly 100% stress-free.

your lack of empathy, OP, is astonishing. I am comfortable in a high earning intellectually challenging prof role but it doesn't for a second prevent me from understanding and not being "baffled" by other circumstances. It's as if you've not read a newspaper since 2007 to come up with a response like that for starters.

I’m in an office based specialist NHS role. No nights, no weekends, wee when I like, tea when I like. It’s absolute bliss. It’s all quite sad upsetting work but not stressful.

Working as a senior midwife in triage for the previous x amount of years was very “stressful” but I loved the buzz and pressure. A full triage with one reduced movements, one in early labour, PV bleed in the side room, a postnatal readmission in room 1 and a multip on hands and knees at reception.... that’s when I really start hustling and feeling the flow. Just got knackered though.

Austerity is definitely increasing the stress for a large percentage of workers. In the public sector workers are being asked to deliver the impossible on a basis of woefully inadequate resources to a public who are (quite rightly) furious at the declining availability and quality of provision. And in the private sector, constant belt-tightening means job insecurity or casual employment for many, which is a huge factor in making every day more stressful for people who don't know where the money is coming from next month.

Because the decisions I make at work and the advice I give can have financial implications for my clients which run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Because nobody wants to hire litigation lawyers, so you’re always a distress purchase and your clients are predisposed to be unhappy with your advice.

Because I have to keep on top of multiple court deadlines for a range of different cases, with serious consequences if I miss them.

Because I am under enormous pressure to work a certain number of chargeable hours per week.

Because I have to engage in tense, high-stakes negotiations.

Because I have to prepare for court appearances regularly, which means I have to be prepared for any question a sheriff might throw at me.

Because I have to assess complicated factual circumstances and correctly apply the law, often at short notice.

I love my job, but it is legitimately stressful and comes with an enormous amount of pressure.

I run my own business and there are times when I have to work really hard and it’s stressful.
However there are other times (the majority) when it’s not stressful in the slightest and some weeks where I only work an hour a day
I don’t tell people this as it appears I’m showing off and for some reason I also think people will judge me for not working more.
I earn an average salary for where I live and am happy.
I also acknowledge how unbelievably lucky I am for this to be my life.
My husbands job is also not stressful, he works nine to five and leaves his job at work. He likes the routine and a regular pay slip.

It just seems crass to say this to people especially when they themselves are stressed.

Mine is stressful at times, but not every day. It is a job involving strategic planning and development in a specific sector (not saying as it would be too outing) with high responsibility. However, I've been in more stressful jobs...such as a call centre in my early work years and that was VERY stressful. Never again.

I'm a charge nurse on an acute mental health ward. It can be incredibly stressful at times with aggressive patients, high expressed levels of emotion and distress, over-stretched resources, a stupid amount of paperwork, and a large staff team and rota to oversee.

I remember everyone saying they were stressed in the 80's. This isn't new.

It's like people on MN can't cope with being expected to do a job competently and cope with a busy period or awkward person Yes! Everyone has a threshold beyond which they cannot cope! That threshold is different for everyone. Be thankful you haven't found your - yet!

I know lots of people who are happy as teachers. I know as many who left becausethye weren't. Neither gorup is right or wrong, they just have different stressors and different physical and psychological reposnses to them. I know this as I used to teach psychology... lots of hours spent on Fight and Flight etc! The very thing that makes us usccessful as a species can destroy ss as individuals.

Stop making light of it and work on maintaining your own cognitive strength! You may need it one day!

Mine is great sometimes and bloody hard work or emotionally challenging at other times.
I work with teens and a lot of time we can do a lot of good work eg reduce self harming, help build relationships, help improve school attendance, help break free from cse and grooming etc
However we have been assaulted many times, a colleague was off work for many months and needed hospital appointments after being attacked by two young people. Our cars have been smashed up and as we get essential car users allowance we have to claim on our own insurance. The name calling doesn't bother me but when things get extremely physical it is worrying.
It is upsetting when a young person commits suicide. That is very very difficult to deal with especially when you have been their key worker and things seemed to be moving forward, if you hear about after their case yes closed to you.
We work with the families as well and it is heartbreaking when you know the child needs support is because of the way the parent behaves. It is crushing when you hear a parent call their child a piece of shit to their face but you have worked for hours with that child with no issues what so ever ( and no full well the parents history)
It is stressful watching social workers and the police removing children from the (lack of) care of their parents.
I have gone home many nights over the years and had to sit by myself before I could face my family.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good times, but when the bad times come it is stressful.

Dp us self employed and buisness has taken a drastic downward turn in the last 18 months and that is worrying. It may mean people will lose their jobs of the business folds.

So yeah, I'm part of the "my job is stressful" crew! 🙄