Is it possible to function in the adult world without the aid of a legal/illegal substance?
I say no, it's not. And I'm not just talking about alcohol, pot, coke, etc. I'm talking about any substance that enters the human body and has an effect on it and is a drug. Let's take an easy one first. Alcohol. Prolific, used and abused by millions. Many consume alcohol to lower stress levels. Work, in case you didn't know, is typically a massive source of chronic stress, which helps develop bad habits. I didn't just pull that out m'butt.
Look at this excerpt from an article I found: "Research and population surveys have shown that persons
under stress ,
particularly chronic stress, tend to exhibit more unhealthy behaviors than
less-stressed persons. Stressed people drink more alcohol, smoke more, and eat
less nutritious foods than non-stressed individuals." (Source)
And here's another one focusing on addiction and stress: "Stress has long been known to increase vulnerability to addiction. The
last decade has led to a dramatic increase in understanding the
underlying mechanisms for this association." (Source)
That's a pretty easy correlation. But, not everyone drinks! I know this, you know this. What about other recreational drugs? I have found after doing some research that a substance can be addictive, true, but it is the introduction of chronic stress that wears down our willpower, making people more vulnerable to self-medication and addiction. Taken from this peer-reviewed journal, the facts don't lie: "High emotional stress is associated with loss of control over impulses
and an inability to inhibit inappropriate behaviors and to delay
gratification."
Drugs, alcohol. Smoking, too. Many believe that smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars, etc. has a relaxing effect, and can help calm nerves when under a lot of stress. Although, it is unclear why people only think they relax when they smoke. I found, thanks to this article, that the feeling of relaxation is only perceived. Cigarettes actually have the opposite effect: "Studies have found, however, that in reality, lighting up has the opposite effect, causing long-term stress levels to rise, not fall. For those dependent on smoking, the only stress it relieves is the withdrawal between cigarettes."
Prescription drugs, too. Let's say you're a straight shooter. You don't smoke, you don't drink. No drugs, except for what your doctor prescribes you. But I bet stress has worn you down. In fact, in the United States, there has been a significant jump in the number of people who have been taking cholesterol controlling drugs: "From 1988 to 1994, 3.4% of adults took a statin (drug that helps control cholesterol). This percentage jumped to 15.5% in 2007-2010." (Source) Why focus on cholestrol and stress? High stress levels, especially when chronic, builds up cortisol in your system, a hormone released when the body is stressed. A constant flow of cortisol in your body makes your body produce more cholesterol, same with adrenaline, which also is released during stress events, and also stimulates the production of cholesterol.
There's a direct link, look at the facts: "These two hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) produced by the hypothalamus also trigger the
production of cholesterol. Cortisol produces more sugar in order to
provide the body with instant energy to tackle the stressful situation.
The high sugar levels, however, often are not used up by the body and
eventually are converted to fatty acids and cholesterol. Stress also can
push people toward unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles: smoking,
drinking and eating a diet that contributes to high cholesterol." (Source)
Stress requires us to medicate ourselves to stay well (cholsterol medications, high blood pressure medications, tranquilizers, etc) or to relieve, or more accurately, forget stress (recreational drugs and alcohol). But in reality, we are only making the problem worse. We work too much. Once again, we work. TOO. MUCH. All over the damn globe, and especially America, we are working ourselves to death. We've even developed methods to further that end to deal with the side-effects of working too hard! See the madness?
Enough talk. It is impossible to exist in the adult, working world without the sustained usage of prescription, or recreational drugs, including alcohol. That is my stand. What's yours?
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Stress and Working Yourself to Death
We all must work. Whether it is an honest job or not, we all work somehow. Many of us, however, work ourselves to the point where we can no longer work. Doesn't have to be physical. Some of the hardest workers I know barely lift anything over 5 pounds in their work day. But this is the point of this whole damn entry- most of us, and I mean as a nation (U.S.A.), work way too long, and way too hard.
Where does it end? With debt, cost of living, unexpected expenses, most people have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Many other countries that we share the planet with set a maximum hour limit to a work week. America does not. We also among the countries that have the most of our men and women working over 40 hours a week.
There are no laws regulating paid sick days (a company does not have to offer them) and employers expect more and more and more from us on average as money and resources get tighter. The article listed in this paragraph begun to suggest that this type of cycle is more insidious than circumstantial: and that's not just me whining- there is only so much a human being can do in a day before work suffers. Before life suffers.
Here's a look at offered vacation days around the world that'll make you sad:
Don't understand the graph? Me either. So, I found this webpage that details it all. And I quote:
"This report reviewed international vacation and holiday laws and found that the United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation or holiday."
Now of course this doesn't mean that NO-ONE takes vacation days, but what I found interesting is that Americans actually wind up giving back vacation days, i.e. not using them. In this article, it is stated that, "In 2009, harrumphs Expedia, Americans 'gave back' a total of 436m vacation days." That number has probably increased since then. If we do get offered vacation days, sometimes we don't take them to try and do more at work to get ahead. When we do take them, we typically don't use all of them, and sometimes? We can't use all our vacation days if they're not paid. We can't afford to miss work!
What have we become? Forget America for a second. What has a human being become? We just...work until death? Is that what we are? A tireless, bio-machine that simply goes to work, keeps working, and then expires without retirement benefits. People. We're not meant to live our lives this way.
Easier said than done of course. But. Yes, there's always but. But. I wanted to see what working does to your body. According to this website, "the latest findings discovered by scientists at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health support results from a 2011 British survey that revealed that doing more than 11 hours of work a day raised heart disease risks by 67 percent." The article then suggested that poor diet, lack of exercise (these two most commonly associated with office jobs in my opinion AND from personal experience) creates a well? In a word? Fatal combination.
Then, being under the constant stress of working all the time, your body produces cortisol, which is good in short amounts, but when your bloodstream is flooded with the stuff 24/7, you can see all sorts of dangerous side effects, like increased blood pressure, and a compromised immune response. And then, you can enjoy a nice heart attack for all you hard work and dedication.
But as Americans, we work more than most other 1st world countries. Which is startling. Aren't we always told that Americans have zero work ethic? Have no spine for true, hard work? Not all of us. Some? Sure. But not all of us. Not me. Probably not you, either. Here's what I found (quote taken from here):
"The UN International Labour Organisation said the average Australian, Canadian and Japanese worker worked about 100 hours, or 2.5 weeks less than the average American per year. Brazilians and British workers worked 250 hours, or more than five weeks less, while Germans worked roughly 500 hours, or 12.5 weeks less."
We all work hard. But it seems that America is working the "hardest". And this is not a completely good thing. Americans, whether they were born and raised here, or immigrated from a different land, work way too much. Race doesn't play into it. Location does. Why America? Why do we demand so much for so little? Why are we not the only ones thinking this way? I have no idea. One could speculate, of course. Economy, ethics, greed, this list could go on and on. But the fact of the matter is we, humans, all work too hard. Life winds up becoming weekend to weekend, and if you work on the weekend, you may have no rest at all!
So what are we to do? I don't know.
Do you?
Where does it end? With debt, cost of living, unexpected expenses, most people have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Many other countries that we share the planet with set a maximum hour limit to a work week. America does not. We also among the countries that have the most of our men and women working over 40 hours a week.
There are no laws regulating paid sick days (a company does not have to offer them) and employers expect more and more and more from us on average as money and resources get tighter. The article listed in this paragraph begun to suggest that this type of cycle is more insidious than circumstantial: and that's not just me whining- there is only so much a human being can do in a day before work suffers. Before life suffers.
Here's a look at offered vacation days around the world that'll make you sad:
 | ||
| Source: http://20somethingfinance.com/american-hours-worked-productivity-vacation/ |
"This report reviewed international vacation and holiday laws and found that the United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation or holiday."
Now of course this doesn't mean that NO-ONE takes vacation days, but what I found interesting is that Americans actually wind up giving back vacation days, i.e. not using them. In this article, it is stated that, "In 2009, harrumphs Expedia, Americans 'gave back' a total of 436m vacation days." That number has probably increased since then. If we do get offered vacation days, sometimes we don't take them to try and do more at work to get ahead. When we do take them, we typically don't use all of them, and sometimes? We can't use all our vacation days if they're not paid. We can't afford to miss work!
What have we become? Forget America for a second. What has a human being become? We just...work until death? Is that what we are? A tireless, bio-machine that simply goes to work, keeps working, and then expires without retirement benefits. People. We're not meant to live our lives this way.
Easier said than done of course. But. Yes, there's always but. But. I wanted to see what working does to your body. According to this website, "the latest findings discovered by scientists at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health support results from a 2011 British survey that revealed that doing more than 11 hours of work a day raised heart disease risks by 67 percent." The article then suggested that poor diet, lack of exercise (these two most commonly associated with office jobs in my opinion AND from personal experience) creates a well? In a word? Fatal combination.
Then, being under the constant stress of working all the time, your body produces cortisol, which is good in short amounts, but when your bloodstream is flooded with the stuff 24/7, you can see all sorts of dangerous side effects, like increased blood pressure, and a compromised immune response. And then, you can enjoy a nice heart attack for all you hard work and dedication.
 |
| Source: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/coronary_artery_blockage_000441.htm |
But as Americans, we work more than most other 1st world countries. Which is startling. Aren't we always told that Americans have zero work ethic? Have no spine for true, hard work? Not all of us. Some? Sure. But not all of us. Not me. Probably not you, either. Here's what I found (quote taken from here):
"The UN International Labour Organisation said the average Australian, Canadian and Japanese worker worked about 100 hours, or 2.5 weeks less than the average American per year. Brazilians and British workers worked 250 hours, or more than five weeks less, while Germans worked roughly 500 hours, or 12.5 weeks less."
We all work hard. But it seems that America is working the "hardest". And this is not a completely good thing. Americans, whether they were born and raised here, or immigrated from a different land, work way too much. Race doesn't play into it. Location does. Why America? Why do we demand so much for so little? Why are we not the only ones thinking this way? I have no idea. One could speculate, of course. Economy, ethics, greed, this list could go on and on. But the fact of the matter is we, humans, all work too hard. Life winds up becoming weekend to weekend, and if you work on the weekend, you may have no rest at all!
So what are we to do? I don't know.
Do you?
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Is Green Cleaning Dead?
All I ever here from companies trying to sell us janitorial products is that no-one is using hazardous chemicals anymore, everyone is going completely green. As far as I can tell, this is a lie. From personal experience, I can say that many customers do not prefer a complete green cleaning. Most of our customers are fine with a hybrid of both green and non-green products, and I've also noticed that a lot of green-friendly commercial cleaning products have been disappearing from the market. But this turned out to be false. Doing a basic search, I found numerous companies selling green products, but they are not well advertised. Many of them I have never heard of, and so. I thought they didn't exist. What else am I supposed to think? I was reading this article: Is Green Still Growing? and it states that everyone was rarin' to go a few years ago when it came to more Eco-friendly cleaning solutions. But now? With the current economy, many people aren't interested. Some companies charge more for green cleaning because of all the extra time involved, and that additional cost is what cripples companies that are wholly green.
People are also becoming more conscious of their pets. I can't tell you how many green cleaning products I have seen that is geared towards pet messes. Here's an article: Green Pets. Which I find kind of funny. Don't get me wrong- I am all for green cleaning, healthier pets, people, and the environment, but the sheer concept of it when you break it down is sort of ludicrous. People are wary of their pets when it comes to what products we may use on their floor, but when we offer an all green solution, they are...underwhelmed. When we tell them that our green products disinfect work well, but ultimately cannot cut through mildew or soapscum, some customers lose interest right away. The same customers that were so involved with their pets' well being that they are allowing very powerful cleaning agents into a vulnerable area- the bathroom. Which brings me to the next point.
Do people even care about green cleaning anymore? I'm not sure. This article even asked the question for me: Green Cleaning - Do We Care? They state that there are many green products out there. Hundreds. And a lot of the them claim all sorts of things, like being earth friendly, and biodegradable. And a lot of these products are. The ones we use are, we checked on it. But when green cleaning came into focus, a lot of companies tried to jump on the bandwagon with less than honest chemical solutions that were far from green. This practice is called greenwashing, and it's more common than you think. So common, that many people consume green products without any research, or knowledge about the environment, meaning that they wouldn't know if they were being duped or not! A survey conducted at this website states that many people consuming green products had NO concern of the environment at all, let alone knowing anything about environmental issues. A large percentage of the people surveyed said that Carbon Dioxide depleted the ozone layer.
What a perfect segway into my last point. If people do care about green cleaning, it's a specific group of people, rather limited perhaps. I could be exaggerating, but maybe I'm not. I have, however, noticed an influx of people doing DIY green products. Limited batch, small amount, and for personal use. Here's a perfect example: Cleaning Product Recipes. If you noticed, these small batch green cleaning products also have scents added to them to make them more appealing to the nose. Strong fragrances are added to many cleaning products, and the matter of the fact is, green cleaning dosen't smell clean. Your house won't reek of course, but there is no telltale whiff of bleach, or powerful lemon scent. Pine. So, we would get complaints when we would clean only with green products. From the customers that wanted us to use nothing but green products. And it's not their fault, they didn't know. So we use a hybrid system of both.
So. Back to square one. Is green cleaning dead? I don't know. To be honest, there are such mixed opinions about the issue that I don't know where to fall. I've found that companies should at the very least offer green cleaning. They don't have to be 100% green, but that doesn't mean they lose their conscience about their impact on the environment. Being more conscientious about our affect on the planet often requires more effort. And there are many people that might not be ready for that commitment. Like most things in life, it's silly to pick on side over the other blindly. It's best to research, observe, and understand both sides, and then make an informed decision to find out where you stand. As with most things in life, compromise is often best. And maybe, just maybe, it's best to ease into something new, opposed to just blindly opposing or standing up for it. If you're all for green cleaning, great. If you're not, that's fine too! Just make sure that whatever position you take, you've made an informed decision.
People are also becoming more conscious of their pets. I can't tell you how many green cleaning products I have seen that is geared towards pet messes. Here's an article: Green Pets. Which I find kind of funny. Don't get me wrong- I am all for green cleaning, healthier pets, people, and the environment, but the sheer concept of it when you break it down is sort of ludicrous. People are wary of their pets when it comes to what products we may use on their floor, but when we offer an all green solution, they are...underwhelmed. When we tell them that our green products disinfect work well, but ultimately cannot cut through mildew or soapscum, some customers lose interest right away. The same customers that were so involved with their pets' well being that they are allowing very powerful cleaning agents into a vulnerable area- the bathroom. Which brings me to the next point.
Do people even care about green cleaning anymore? I'm not sure. This article even asked the question for me: Green Cleaning - Do We Care? They state that there are many green products out there. Hundreds. And a lot of the them claim all sorts of things, like being earth friendly, and biodegradable. And a lot of these products are. The ones we use are, we checked on it. But when green cleaning came into focus, a lot of companies tried to jump on the bandwagon with less than honest chemical solutions that were far from green. This practice is called greenwashing, and it's more common than you think. So common, that many people consume green products without any research, or knowledge about the environment, meaning that they wouldn't know if they were being duped or not! A survey conducted at this website states that many people consuming green products had NO concern of the environment at all, let alone knowing anything about environmental issues. A large percentage of the people surveyed said that Carbon Dioxide depleted the ozone layer.
What a perfect segway into my last point. If people do care about green cleaning, it's a specific group of people, rather limited perhaps. I could be exaggerating, but maybe I'm not. I have, however, noticed an influx of people doing DIY green products. Limited batch, small amount, and for personal use. Here's a perfect example: Cleaning Product Recipes. If you noticed, these small batch green cleaning products also have scents added to them to make them more appealing to the nose. Strong fragrances are added to many cleaning products, and the matter of the fact is, green cleaning dosen't smell clean. Your house won't reek of course, but there is no telltale whiff of bleach, or powerful lemon scent. Pine. So, we would get complaints when we would clean only with green products. From the customers that wanted us to use nothing but green products. And it's not their fault, they didn't know. So we use a hybrid system of both.
So. Back to square one. Is green cleaning dead? I don't know. To be honest, there are such mixed opinions about the issue that I don't know where to fall. I've found that companies should at the very least offer green cleaning. They don't have to be 100% green, but that doesn't mean they lose their conscience about their impact on the environment. Being more conscientious about our affect on the planet often requires more effort. And there are many people that might not be ready for that commitment. Like most things in life, it's silly to pick on side over the other blindly. It's best to research, observe, and understand both sides, and then make an informed decision to find out where you stand. As with most things in life, compromise is often best. And maybe, just maybe, it's best to ease into something new, opposed to just blindly opposing or standing up for it. If you're all for green cleaning, great. If you're not, that's fine too! Just make sure that whatever position you take, you've made an informed decision.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
2013 Planning and Beyond
Happy New Years!
2012 was...not pretty for many people. It was a hard year for us all, actually, one way or another. But what is it about a new year that renews drive and passion? I don't know. But I intend to find out. Business is a routine. Of course there are exceptions, but there is a basic formula that most legitmate business follow. Provide Product/Service, Consumer Buys, You get Paid. Yes, this is easy. But there are a lot of tiny little ins and outs that I've never noticed before until I started working at Budget.
Routine is something we should all have. This routine helps us manage our lives and our business. It's a foundation, not a step by step guide. What's my point? Planning. Did yopu have a rough year? Are there things you want to change? Why keep it as a New Year's Resolution? Call it a business goal.
Mine is to be more organized. To have protocols, to be more observant. New Years Resolutions often get ignored because there are set as a goal to work towards. They're treat like an empty promise to ourselves. Don't let it be an empty promise. Apply it in your life. Make a goal, and follow it as you achieve and evolve.
Easier said than done. And no, I don't have a self help book that I'm going to plug and ask you to buy, either. All I'm asking is for you not to treat your resolution like an empty promise. Treat it like a goal you must obtain without fail. See how that works for you.
Hope you're enjoying the new year so far!
2012 was...not pretty for many people. It was a hard year for us all, actually, one way or another. But what is it about a new year that renews drive and passion? I don't know. But I intend to find out. Business is a routine. Of course there are exceptions, but there is a basic formula that most legitmate business follow. Provide Product/Service, Consumer Buys, You get Paid. Yes, this is easy. But there are a lot of tiny little ins and outs that I've never noticed before until I started working at Budget.
Routine is something we should all have. This routine helps us manage our lives and our business. It's a foundation, not a step by step guide. What's my point? Planning. Did yopu have a rough year? Are there things you want to change? Why keep it as a New Year's Resolution? Call it a business goal.
Mine is to be more organized. To have protocols, to be more observant. New Years Resolutions often get ignored because there are set as a goal to work towards. They're treat like an empty promise to ourselves. Don't let it be an empty promise. Apply it in your life. Make a goal, and follow it as you achieve and evolve.
Easier said than done. And no, I don't have a self help book that I'm going to plug and ask you to buy, either. All I'm asking is for you not to treat your resolution like an empty promise. Treat it like a goal you must obtain without fail. See how that works for you.
Hope you're enjoying the new year so far!
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