\r\n \r\n I think a lot of us who are working have the same type of feelings. You kind of spend your life dreading Mondays and looking forward to Fridays, only once the weekend does get there, it shoots by super quickly, especially if you do things and go places.
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\nI always tried to look at \'the big picture\', I had to work to pay my bills. I never liked working, but there were people with worse jobs than me. I knew that I\'d be better off just accepting the routine, and making the best of my weekdays, even at work.
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\nIf I was in a terrible job, I would consider looking for something else for sure. We spend so many hours of our lives in the workplace, we should be doing something we can tolerate, not only for our own mental health, but that of our families, because they have to deal with us when we come home.
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\nLife is short, make the best of it, try to find some humor in your everyday experiences, it will make you feel better to not take everything so seriously or negatively. Remember, you\'re not alone in that boat, there\'s lots of others who are going through the same thing. Be grateful for your health, and the other good things you do have. \r\n

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\r\n "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~Immanual Kant~
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\r\n \r\n I think K2C made a very important point about learning how to accept the routine.
\nYou don\'t have to like it, but you do need to make a living to pay your bills so try to think of ways to make your experience at work more interesting.
\nI\'ve changed my perspective about employment throughout the years from it being a \'career\' to \'punch in, do my 8 hours, punch out.\' During little breaks throughout the work day/week I plan my workouts, do my menu for the following week, make grocery & other to-do lists, go through travel guides within driving distance & plan my routes so I\'m ready to go on my day off.
\nIt makes the workday more tolerable because you\'re giving your mind things to think about outside of work & you become more organized so your days off are spent doing fun stuff.
\nMost often, I do errands on my way home so it keeps my days off open to relax or do day trips. If I\'m caught up on errands or it\'s a really nice day, I stop at the lake for a short walk.
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\r\n __________________
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\r\n \r\n I have come to enjoy the routine.
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\nI am a recovering drug addict. I came real close to losing my life and losing everything around me (family, friends). I lost my job too (management in a call center).
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\nSome people numb themselves everyday to cope with it - but I couldn\'t do that. I took it too far and it became unmanageable. So no, I don\'t think riding it out until you snap is a solution. You have to find what keeps you going. For me, it\'s my family. 2 great kids and a wonderful wife. I used to DETEST the daily grind and routine.
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\nNow that I am sober and clean - I look FORWARD to the routine. It keeps me busy and doesn\'t let my mind wander off (which gets me into trouble). In recovery, you take it a day at a time - and believe me there are days when you look forward to nothing else but trying to get to sleep that night.
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\nThe "routine" helps you get there safely and productively. Shopping. Getting my kids ready for school. Picking my kids up from school. Feeding them snacks, lunch and dinner. Bath time. Changing the guinea pigs cage. Vacuuming the mess the kids left behind. I welcome it all, because without it - I wouldn\'t have a life, literally. It\'s not like I say "oh boy! time to do the dishes". LOL it\'s not like that at all, but if I can find some things to keep me busy then I am OK for the day and will be able to make it to tomorrow.
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\nHope that gives you an idea of how perspectives change. I was in the same boat as you, but it got me into a lot of trouble.
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\nChris\r\n

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\r\n \r\n Thanks for the advice guys.
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\nYou are right, remembering why you are in the "daily grind" goes a long way to make it more tolerable.
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\n@Chris I can see why you got started on drugs. Call centers are pressure cookers, and in my experience there about about maybe 10% to 15% (being generous) that aren\'t heavy drinkers, pill takers, or drug users.
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\nI did the call center circuit, some campaigns were more stressful than others. It\'s the kind of environment that breeds that sort of behavior. Oh sure, they say no drugs/alcohol, but really as long as you are doing your job, and nobody makes a stink about it, you\'ll be fine and coast on by.
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\nHard to get yourself out of that scene.. I remember. I never got into hard drugs, or really abusive with anything except alcohol.. Well I did smoke pot almost daily, but it was a joint here, and there not a whole day event.
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\nBut yeah, call centers are bad news, especially if they are overseas, you wouldn\'t BELIEVE what goes on in those. I worked some in Costa Rica and Nicaragua...... Oh the stories....
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\nAnyway, that\'s all behind me now, and I have my wife and baby girl (not yet born) to think about. So I guess it\'s pull up your socks, put on a happy face, and do what needs to be done.
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\nThe idea of making your list of todos during work hours is an idea, however my routine is so routine it\'s the same all the time lol.. Once I have a plan, that\'s what it is.. Hasn\'t changed at all. The errands are the same etc. Guess I need to shake it up a bit...
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\nI\'ll think of something I\'m sure \r\n

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\r\n \r\n If you can find a little bit of time for yourself on most days, working out with weights, jogging, bike riding, etc. is a good release of negative energy, and as you get healthier, you will feel better mentally and emotionally too.\r\n

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\nYou couldn\'t be more right... I think a few more "adult" activities would go a long way to alleviate stress as well.. After all, once you hit that "Big Finish" endorphins are released.
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\nOther cultures know this and in Brazil, believe it or not, the government has said you need time off to engage in these "adult" activities, whether alone or with a partner, DURING the work day.. I wonder if that makes them more productive, because generally speaking.. I feel like a nap afterward lol.\r\n

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\r\n \r\n You know, I never really put it together that being in a call center was a big source of my problems. Yes, it was very stressful. Even after getting off the phones and moving into management - stress doesn\'t get better because now you are responsible for the performance of the entire floor....
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\nExercise is a great way to get some stress off. I just got a bike. I think I\'ll go for a bike ride before I pick my daughter up for school \r\n

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\r\n \r\n Call centers are evil man... They\'ll eat away your stomach for sure...
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\nWe used to play drinking games to be able to stand the calls about ICE MAKERS being broken in the middle of winter!
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\nOh, and of course when I moved over into QA, that wasn\'t any better, sure we weren\'t on the front lines, but we had to listen to it..
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\nAnd then as head of QA I had 4 hour to 5 hour conference calls DAILY with people griping about 1 stat or other.. "Get the AHT down!", "Get Quality up!", "The ATT is off the chart!", "Good job with the Quality, now raise the AHT, our customers feel like we\'re being abrupt!"
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\nOh boy...\r\n

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\nGreat idea! Anything outdoors helps alot!
\nNature has a remarkable way of healing us..\r\n

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\r\n \r\n there are lots of natural cures around the globe.. the big question is if the large pharmaceutical companies will allow these cures to be known...
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\nA perfect example is willow bark.. Did you know that willow bark is the cure to a lot of "rheumatism"? And it is also the derivative for aspirin a global pain killer. However, nobody ever tells you to look for willow bark, they all point you towards aspirin \r\n

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\r\n \r\n It\'s on my shelf, and preferred over aspirin for sure. Was using it for awhile for lower back pain, and I\'ve recommended it to others...https://www.natmedtalk.com/wiki/White_Willow\r\n

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\r\n \r\n Yes. A lot of times the natural cures are better. You use an extract correct? Trying to follow the suggestion, and wondering what concentration it was if you knew off hand? Also a good place to buy it would be appreciated.
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\nI am a firm believer that we need to look to nature for the cure, rather than paving over it....\r\n

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\r\n \r\n Hiking in the woods is my cure.\r\n

\r\n __________________
\r\n I\'d rather meander for the prevention than race for the cure. \r\n

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\r\n \r\n Thankfulness, thinking over what you DO have, can be a great healer. Think of all the people struggling to even eat and have a roof over their heads because they\'ve been laid off from their boring job. Also, at work, think of ways to take the initiative to make things better for the company, yourself, and others around you.\r\n

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