What time in your life was incredibly stressful that now you feel you should not have been so stressed?

My first break up.

1989 – 1993, I worked for a boss who was a complete jerk asshole, he’d yell at people, take credit for people’s work, make life miserable for everyone. But by ‘93 I had surpassed his knowledge and experience and he couldn’t afford to lose me, so he had to soften his tone. By then I was pretty much running things and just kept him informed.

A few years later we got a new CEO who fired him for not doing anything, even though he’d been with the company for 30 years.

The last three years of my last job, work conditions, safety, forced dispatch among other things were making the place a living hell,when I finally quit my whole family congratulated me,the place was so well known to unemployment ,that I faced no fine when I filed for benefits.

Grad school

The first two years of my twin children’s lives.

If I could go back in time, I would relax and enjoy it. As it was just a blur and I did not appreciate all the wonderful things about babies and toddler-hood. Sad.

Yes. Writing papers hours before they were due and being convinced that they would determine whether or not I failed a class. I didn’t fail any classes, and if I had I would have just had to take a summer course. Finish school on the mark, in the expected 4 years is less important than I stressed it to be, what’s the rush to get to adulthood anyway? But anyway I’ve found that most of things I have stressed over outside of relationships and the wellbeing of those closest to me, could’ve used a little more breathing room. Follow your train of thought and worry, and if eventually it dwindles, maybe its nothing to worry about.

You just described my entire life.

College. I don’t think that piece of paper ever got me a job or did much of anything for me. Of course my major was theater, so there’s that.

I’d say my teenage years. All that teenage angst about spots and being excluded or included in certain groups and dealing with my parents and the rules they imposed. The exams I thought I had to pass or my life would be ruined! The spots cleared up. The friends I thought were friends I realised weren’t friends or we lost touch and it really didn’t matter. I outgrew my parent’s rules and as a parent myself I now understand what they were trying to do. My life wasn’t ruined by my exam results and my work has never relied on the information I learned at school in any way. All that stress and angst was wasted.

When I was in college, working part time and perpetually broke. Anxiety about money and what bills to pay and not pay was very stressful. I hope never to return to that type of situation again in my life.

2003–2007
I was promoted to a job I took way too seriously. It was a mid-level management job and I was the youngest manager of the bunch by at least ten years. I was really good at it, but felt I had a lot to prove so I spent far too much time at work and took work home both physically and mentally. It got to the point where I was constantly stressed and couldn’t sleep. It actually landed me in the hospital with stress-induced symptoms (they thought I was having a heart attack). That wised me up. Few months later I resigned in spectacular fashion.

In retrospect, there was no need for me to be that stressed and work that hard. At 80% capacity, I was still doing the job better than my peers and past expectations. I wish I figured that out then.

I always take it out on myself whenever I score 25 out of 30or 35 on a test.

It had to be the intersection of my college days with the expansion of the Vietnam war and being the resident of a state with a tough problem in meeting its draft quotas. In hindsight, it was the greatest crop of lessons and insights that I have experienced, and set the tone for the remainder of my cynical existence

I look back on the most stressful time of my life and I am amazed that I made it through. I had every reason to be completely stressed out, to the point of inaction, but it didn’t stop me.

@jca Looking back now though, do you feel you shouldn’t have been so stressed out?

Years ago, I was having a spat with a co-worker. Things got out of hand when some unidentified woman called the man’s wife and warned her that her might be cheating on her. I was blamed because of the spat and my grandmother was the one everyone thought made the call. My credibility was shot and no questions were raised about my actual involvement, or lack thereof. Some 5 years later, I realized that the caller was most likely the branch manager’s wife, the branch manager being the one who first informed me of the alleged call.

I think all my stressed out periods were valid for where I was and who I was at that time.

^^what she said but with more cursing

GA’s for everyone. Thanks so much for sharing your stories.

@anniereborn: No, I feel like the stress was valid. I was doing things like sometimes driving with expired registration because I didn’t have the money for it but still had to get to school or work. Or I would park in parking garage for work and not pay, because I didn’t have the money for the meters but had to get to work. I would get a ticket (which, of course means you pay more but just not today).

@jca I actually did something similar. I averaged 1.5 $32 parking tickets per semester at my university. They sold parking passes for ~$200 and you were not even guaranteed to find a legal spot. I simply paid the tickets and never purchased a parking pass. I blatantly parked wherever I wanted and still came out ahead.

@jca Oh, okay. I was confused due to what the OP asked.

Being poor is freaking expensive. Have you seen Auggies blog on the subject?