Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hyndis]

So, my workload lately has been going through the roof. Tons and tons of stress, and with the job market as it currently is I don't think things will be improving any time soon.   

Lately its just been getting too much. In the past month or so I've developed something of a stutter, but a very specific one.

In normal conversation I'm fine, and once I get going I'm fine. Its just that when starting I tend to freeze up, and just cannot get anything out. Its aggravating. Particularly when I need to answer phones about people calling up because they put their solid state drive through the dish washer.   

Then being unable to properly answer the phone causes some anxiety, and that increased anxiety causes me to lock up more. Feedback loop. 

Its like I just get stuck on making the very first sound in a phone greeting, and I'm just locked on that, frozen, in a loop. I can get by that by just forcing myself to stop completely and then move on to another sound for a first consonant, and things go fine from there, but sometimes it takes a long time to get past that, and its aggravating.

The hilarious thing is that when I'm distracted by something else I'm completely fine.

I guess I just think about it too much, and then the act of thinking about it causes me to lock up.


How do I think about no longer thinking about something? 

[Renault]

Think about something else. Something really, really fascinating. An epic novel you're brewing in your head, or that cute girl you have your eye on. Distract yourself, heh. Think about Dwarf Fortress if its something that steals the imagination.

[Vector]

I've had a horrible stutter before, to the point where I literally just couldn't get the words out.  In my experience, there's a few things you can do to help, even if you can't get out of your stressful situation.

1. Practice speaking.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but in my experience it really helps to speak aloud, slowly and carefully.  Concentrate on how your mouth feels as it makes each sound, as well as the individual "contours" of your voice.  Eventually you should be able to get sound out even when you're stressed out.

2. Breathe.  Inhale, close your eyes, visualize a zone of internal peace.  Exhale and feel your body relax.  Then start.

3. Create oases of calm.  If tea helps calm you down, then drink tea.  Do whatever you can to make your work space less threatening.  In elementary school, I did this by reading books and completely ignoring people.  Nowadays... well, I'm working on it, but my guess is that it's going to involve a lot of peppermint tea and regularly-scheduled reading breaks.

Find something that works and do it.  It may just be holding onto a particular thought to protect you from your fears, or it may be something more physical, like a morning run.  In any case, there's probably a good answer out there.

[Hyndis]

Just the stress at work has been getting to me. This past week I've been forcing myself to relax. Sounds like an oxymoron, but its been working. The problem has been less and less throughout the week.

Monday I could barely speak, but today its a somewhat minor, albeit annoying issue.

Everyone is handling the stress differently. Some people are about to start throwing chairs, other people want to just walk off the job and never return.

With the current economy as is, I need to stick with this job despite the absurd levels of stress involved with it.

I've found that if I get stuck, I just force myself to stop, reshape my mouth, and then go with that just on the fly. Basically I just stop trying to make that sound I'm stuck on, go with a random one, and then because I'm then not thinking about it, I'm fine.

Still annoying, but I'm figuring out how to get around it for now.

[Red Fortune]

Oh, stuttering, I know how it feels, but now I only stutter when I'm fired up at something... It makes arguing very hard, but I don't talk much anyway, let alone argue...

What I've learned to do about has sort of been said; as soon as I feel I can't get a sound out, I just "reset" my mind, think about something I can see, acknowledge something, and then continue as if it never happened.

[jnecros]

I seriously recomend meditation sessons for 30 mins each morning, any type is fine. You can even try to use mental rehearsal during your meditation, basicly imagining yourself being calm and speaking without freezing up and stuttering as you answer phone calls.

Send me a pm if you need pointers on specific meditation types and their effectiveness for redressing stress related conditions and I will point the way to solid and modern scientific research regarding this practice.

[ClaySpider]

If you have some thoughts about something, maybe deep down, it helps talking with someone who wants to talk and get it out. Cry a bit.
Since your work is about listening to people all day with comp problems, maybe you need to talk about your own problems as well?

And pray to God for strength, it helps.
Talking to God also helps, he is always there.

[Hyndis]

If you have some thoughts about something, maybe deep down, it helps talking with someone who wants to talk and get it out. Cry a bit.
Since your work is about listening to people all day with comp problems, maybe you need to talk about your own problems as well?

And pray to God for strength, it helps.
Talking to God also helps, he is always there.

I'm an atheist.

I find the idea of a personal god to be absurdly self centered.




Its just stress though, things are getting better, just been forcing myself to relax and get more sleep than usual. Its still there but manageable now, and lessening each day.

[Renault]

If you have some thoughts about something, maybe deep down, it helps talking with someone who wants to talk and get it out. Cry a bit.
Since your work is about listening to people all day with comp problems, maybe you need to talk about your own problems as well?

And pray to God for strength, it helps.
Talking to God also helps, he is always there.

I'm an atheist.

I find the idea of a personal god to be absurdly self centered.




Its just stress though, things are getting better, just been forcing myself to relax and get more sleep than usual. Its still there but manageable now, and lessening each day.

Dont worry, I can help get you back on the road to the One True Faith!
Just clear your head, flex your muscles, and repeat:

Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you will remember if we were good men or bad, why we fought, or why we died. No, all that matters is that two stood against many, that's what's important. Valor pleases you, Crom, so grant me one request, grant me REVENGE! And if you do not listen, then the hell with you!

Then repeat as necessary until your problems are lying in a bloody heap at your feet.

[ClaySpider]

I wont start discussing or preaching Christianity here, since its not the right forum, but we could always pm each other.