Striving To Improve Social/Financial Status Negatively Affects Health

haidut

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It is a mantra we hear on TV every day - "work harder and you will live better". While that may be true in terms of financial success, it looks like that success does not come without a price. And the price is worse health due to the stress endured in order to climb the social ladder.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160408183657.htm

"...They found that young adults who come from adverse backgrounds -- but also show resilience to break that pattern and achieve a higher social status -- are more likely to be unhealthy later in life than those not motivated to change their circumstances. Specifically, the researchers found that stress increased participants' risk of developing cardio-metabolic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The study, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, relied on self-reported stress from participants to determine the cause and clinical markers including blood pressure, body mass index, glucose levels and others to determine subsequent health effects."

"...As young adults work to break the cycle of poverty or strive toward being the first in their family to go to college, they experience a disproportionate burden of stress -- and were not resilient in terms of their future health due to the combined burden of lived adversity and striving to change it. This stress is then likely to cause irreversible weathering in their body systems."

"...The findings suggest that although there may be long-term health benefits associated with increased socioeconomic status, there may also be consequences due to the subsequent mental and physical strain. The notion seems counterintuitive at first, but the relationship between stress and health risks has been shown before. This study shows the intensification of health effects for future-oriented youth with a stressful family background."

This study reminds me of another recent finding - that humans are not as resilient to stress as previously thought.
People Are A Lot Less Resilient To Stress Than Originally Thought
 

m_arch

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After studying a masters degree for 5 years and then spending only 6 months in the work force for my chosen area, I decided to quit and never return to this field for this reason. Way too much stress, i'd rather be a part-time checkout chick and have good health!
 

kiran

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After studying a masters degree for 5 years and then spending only 6 months in the work force for my chosen area, I decided to quit and never return to this field for this reason. Way too much stress, i'd rather be a part-time checkout chick and have good health!

masters for 5 years and already burned out from your job?
Whats your chosen area
 

Barry Obummer

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Those findings are not intuitive but also not surprising. Beyond a few thousand calories a day, a warm bed, and some loving social contact, everything else is just clutter and feeding the beast. Climbing the social ladder frequently involves a lot of brown nosing and deceptiveness, which eats away at your soul and self-worth, and skews one's sense of reality. Manifesting worldly change through willpower is depleting.

I think the type A achievement types also don't like depriving themselves or being told what to do. Thus they get away with sausage Pizza, donuts, and no exercise while young but then refuse to change later in life. They want what they want and they want it now, and they are motivated and good at actualizing it. They are not good at depriving themselves though, and have trouble with impulse control.
 

PeatThemAll

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Ever since reading this one, I see it as constant juggling and tradeoffs between cortisol and its opponents. Interesting take on social links/triggers to serotonin.

Mammalian Brain Chemistry Explains Everything

mammalian-brain-chemistry-explains-everything
 
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Way too much stress, i'd rather be a part-time checkout chick and have good health!

Ditto!!! I ran my own business selling antiques for 26 years. Self-employed as a single parent (AND homeschooling) on top of low carb semi-starvation was way too stressful.

I closed my business/shut everything down and put it all in storage and escaped to the woods in order to regain my health, that was almost three years ago. It's taken me this long to recover enough to begin thinking about going back to work again.

I've since moved back to town and started an online business, I'm slowly going through all of my inventory and selling it off. I love old stuff, always will...but it's STILL just stuff. Even though it's recycled and repurposed (less of an environmental burden), it's still just STUFF. I've known since my escape to the woods that I didn't want to sell stuff any more, so I hatched a new plan....

I decided it would be better to sell something consumable, something delicious... instead of clutter-y doodads and old furniture. I decided to turn my Ye Olde Antiques Shoppe in to a Hip New Beer Store (Hard Cider too). You know, the good stuff....we grow more hops & apples here in Washington State than practically anywhere else on the planet. We have a zillion microbreweries and I was gonna provide the coolest retail outlet EVER.

Well, I survived the State Permitting process/Licensing Fee, which is not unlike an anal exam...unpleasant on every level. I passed and got my license and celebrated by going out and purchasing a giant walk-in cooler (for kegs), several retail coolers with glass doors for the bottles and 50 beer taps. HOORAY!

Next, I met with the City....the State was breeze compared to the City. Their bulls*t is too insanely stupid for words, but it comes down the City is basically forcing me in to paying close to $80,000.00 before I even begin the interior remodel and purchase the stock/inventory. WHY??? Because they CAN. They already know I have the State Permit, City gets notified by the State and I had to post the Notice for 30 days prior.

I have a perfectly good commercial building that has served me just fine since I built it in 2008, now they suddenly want to make me dig up the ENTIRE parking lot, put in a Department of Ecology "Rain Garden", Surface Water Management underground drains, etc. I am required to hired a certified Civil Engineer to re-plan my perfectly fine parking lot (that's $12k alone), apply for said permit/submit plans and hope to gawd The City "approves" it for another $3k. Provide 20% shade coverage (with approved mature trees) to parking stalls AND pay Traffic Mitigation Fees of nearly $4k per Peak Hour Vehicle...blah blah blah...all this for six measly parking stalls.

We aren't talking a Wal-Mart parking lot here folks, it's SIX stalls....that are just fine the way they are now. There are NO drainage issues...and this is only the beginning. There are suddenly screening requirements and set backs etc. etc. etc.....none of this mattered to the city when it was a measly antiques shop.

So, all of this BS is starting to feel waaaaay too familiar.....while I was gonna open a Really Cool Beer Store (pun intended), I've decided that the stress just isn't worth it. I can see that I'm still NOT ready and may never be:





I've decided that instead of giving the City $80k in RACKETEERING money, that I will keep my money and go on a journey....I bought a 1945 Flxible Clipper Bus, she's being delivered tomorrow. Yes, delivered. Towed in because she doesn't run. My Ye Olde Antiques Shoppe (was gonna be a Cool Beer Store) is now officially Ye Old Bus Barn...where I will restore The Clipper to her Former Glory and drive off into the sunset...

STRIVING.....I am the proud owner of a useless liquor license, some huge-**** coolers, 50 beer taps and a REALLY old Rusty Bus that does not run.
 

Simonsays

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Well im 51 and have always very prone to stress. Its taken an enormous toll on my body i believe. My 90 year old (what is stress?) father even comments how old i look??!! When i tell people my age, you can tell by their reaction, "he looks a lot older".

The thing is ive never been ambitious and a striver, but ive still played the price especially in the job im in and the company i work for. Ive always seen through the corporate BS that is so common nowadays that we have to swallow. Luckily a few others i work with see through it too, so that helps keep me sane.

Now im taking steps to work less hours and obviously this means less money. But basically im " burnt out" too after 12 years flat out at my current career . I cant go on like this, my body is failing.

Some i think can tolerate stress much better than others, but it takes its toll either way in the long run. ( I see the study says "stressful family background" and thats key i think, personality).

I met up with an old work colleague from years back, hes just taken redundancy and retired at 60, lucky b******d. Not a grey hair on his head.

I dont know many people happy in their jobs right now, but if you are and youre getting paid, as someone said , then its not a job. Youre very lucky. They pay you because you wouldnt choose to do it!!

I dont know about working on the "check out". Theres an old adage about the check out guy having more stress than the CEO who runs it.

I have no sympathy for the middle manager grade. Described so succinctly by a colleague as "sucking up and kicking down"

My admiration goes to to all those trying to get off the treadmill,, not easy.
 

meatbag

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STRIVING.....I am the proud owner of a useless liquor license, some huge-**** coolers, 50 beer taps and a REALLY old Rusty Bus that does not run.

Thats crazy:sad ! With that combo couldn't you make like a food truck but for beer. People/groups could hire you for parties-frats,neighborhoods, maybe even businesses? Instead of them having to go through the hassle and buy all of the stuff-alcohol,cups,kegs etc. You would supply everything. I'm sure there might be restrictions on that kind of stuff though but it'd be cool.
 
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Thats crazy:sad ! With that combo couldn't you make like a food truck but for beer. People/groups could hire you for parties-frats,neighborhoods, maybe even businesses? Instead of them having to go through the hassle and buy all of the stuff-alcohol,cups,kegs etc. You would supply everything. I'm sure there might be restrictions on that kind of stuff though but it'd be cool.


Oooh, I LIKE your thinking!!! That way I can still use my license AND give the City the shaft, lol....(insert evil laugh here).

I'll just make my business MOBILE, no parking lot necessary here....this means I need a bigger generator or mega shore power....and write it off as a business expense!!!

Meatbag, you're brilliant!!!
 
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Well im 51 and have always very prone to stress.

Me too, it's a life long pattern that I must mitigate DAILY...I'll be 50 this year. Starting a new career/business at this age is both exciting and terrifying.

I've restored LOTS of old furniture and a few old houses, but never an Old Bus. I need to come up with a name for her....

My peeps will be utterly convinced that I'm certifiably insane once they see her out front...hoping my son will help with the engine stuff.
 

artemis

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@thebigpeatowski , you've got to be the coolest woman on the planet! You're my idol. Your son(s?) are very lucky to have you for a mom.

p.s., I'm sure you know you can easily sell all that equipment on craigslist or wherever online. I used to own a juice bar, and had no trouble selling all that kind of stuff.
 
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@thebigpeatowski , you've got to be the coolest woman on the planet! You're my idol. Your son(s?) are very lucky to have you for a mom.

p.s., I'm sure you know you can easily sell all that equipment on craigslist or wherever online. I used to own a juice bar, and had no trouble selling all that kind of stuff.


Hi artemis!!! Thank you for your kind words:kiss:...and yes, I can re-sell the coolers on Craigslist, I sell online all the time.

I might hold off for a bit though....just to see if these small-minded City minions come to their senses. It's so dumb, they're inflicting all their "new" rules simply because it's a new business.

I've owned this property for 16 years, I dealt with these morons when I built the building 8 years ago. It's unfortunate, but they won't see another cent of revenue from this property if they don't ease up.
 
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Simonsays

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I think i understand what your talking about Rosie ;), if i maybe so bold. Good luck with the Riveting :jawdrop::)

"America and England are two nations divided by a common language."-Winston Churchill:cigar:
 

NathanK

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This reminds me of the old childhood angst. Trying to fight up the social ladder so many kids go through.

After college, I spent two years in investment banking slaving away. I walked away and never looked back. The stress was so intense. I rebounded by finding myself in Hollywood making reality dating TV shows before eventually starting my own business to work myself to the bone. Type A's with a lot of internal drive will find stress I think even when there doesn't necessarily have to be.
 
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Type A's with a lot of internal drive will find stress I think even when there doesn't necessarily have to be.

Story of my life....I create waaaay too much work for myself.

I always have too many projects going on at once, I like to say I live in The Projects.

Perfectionist. Obsessive over details to the nth degree....It's ******* exhausting being me......except I'm too lazy to be a Type A.:artist: Laziness...it's how I cope.

Oh, and procrastination...hence all the chattiness online. Does haidut make a supplement for Procrastination? Procrastiban???
 

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