Stress… it’s hard to eliminate stress in your life, especially if you work in a corporate environment. Actually, my work has become less stressful. After a year at Goodyear, I am pretty comfortable with my job. Plus, my co-workers are good to work with and also respect my time limits.

Outside of work, it seems like it is more of a chore. I tend to stress myself out by taking on more than I need to. Since I like volunteering for social causes, I find myself working on committees. When I involve myself, I truly commit myself and take it serious. So few other people do, and I end up picking up the pieces doing their jobs. I have become more conscious of this and am working on just saying “no”.

I try to lie down to unwind for 30 minutes or so when I get home from work. I think it sets the tone for the night. I also try to do things that relax me. I have mixed success with that. It’s complicated, but I just don’t have the freedom to unwind that I need at home.

To sum it up… I don’t think that I had high stress levels before the heart attack. I think that I lead a less stressful life today. I suppose that I am in a similar situation with most people. Stress will always be around. You just need to know how to control it. My goal for the coming year is to have at least 3 weeknights a week totally free to relax as I see fit.