Is Your Health Noticeably Better After ERE / FI ?

[tylerrr]

I ask this because i'm in a very difficult position with my career right now. I have about 14 months left and it's starting to negatively affect my health. I've never been this stressed and over worked before...

My boss is in a bind too and he just expects me to suck it up and become more efficient. This is really tough and i'm trying to take better care of myself during this very stressful period.

I have to do 14 more months to lock my pension.

I'm just wondering, have you seen definite positive effects to your health since reaching FI? I can say definitely stress is causing me some ailments i wouldn't normally have....

[Did]

Yes. Much less stressed. Better food choices. Weight loss. Gf commented she saw my teeth for the first time (ie smiling). With hindsight I would have gotten out years ago - poorer, but healthier. It is trite to say it, but it really has to come first.

[GPMagnus]

Tylerrr

When I had very stressful periods at work (100+ hours/wk), I tried to do the following, (some of) which you can do even in a cubicle:

1. Sleep 7 hours straight at least one night during the week and one during the weekend.
2. Climb the stairs to get to the water cooler - you do this 4-6 times a day plus lunchtime and you will be doing great!
3. Now that winter is going away have your lunch break outside. Take 5 minutes to just close your eyes and breath while you empty your mind from work-related garbage
4. Buy good earplugs - they will help you concentrate and alleviate the stress of the cubicle (I carry ones made especially for my ears in my wallet at all times and they have saved me so many times ....)
5. Make sure you walk 30-40 minutes on Friday night and then once on Sat and Sunday.

Fourteen months seems like a long time, but next summer you will be done! Most of us have YEARS to go before we get to this point, so remember that you are well ahead

[saving-10-years]

@Tylerr Its now almost a week since I retired and if things continue as for this week then the answer is a resounding YES, health (mental and physical) is noticeably improved. I had a very sedentary job and I sat shoulders hunched staring at a screen for long periods trying to get to the end of what seemed never-ending work (even though I enjoyed it most of the time I felt bombarded). GPMagnus's advice is excellent - especially catching up on sleep as that is what caused me problems in dealing with the stress. I loved my job but it was getting harder to do it as well as I wanted. I was simply too brain-tired and I was pretty burned out. I all too easily ignored how physical fitness pulls down mental fitness too.

Important changes since stopping work? Now I have enough time for every decision. Better eating because its all thought through with real relish for the process: from planning to purchase to making to eating. I am now no longer putting off tasks until I have more time (hah!) or doing them in a rush which raises my stress. I am walking much more because I am not in a hurry. I've done some gardening. I have realised how unfit I have become - very.

Take care of your health as much as you can for these 14 months and start looking forward. If there is a stage at which the die is cast (i.e. you have given notice or your boss/colleagues know your plan) that may mean that as you get to the end it becomes easier. You will find that the flow of tasks starts to slow. You start spending time clearing tasks rather than having them build up. Or you start pointing out that someone else needs to do X because you won't be there by the time that work next comes around. That is a good feeling.

[Scott 2]

14 months is a long time to live at your limit. What's the impact of backing off a little? Maybe stopping 30 minutes earlier every day to get a walk in, or picking one day of the week for no work?

[Sclass]

Tylerrr,

Yes, I retired two years ago. I had high cholesterol and hypertension. I was on meds for the hypertension and the doctor was threatening meds for the lipids. I actually excercised a lot more when I worked because I thought it would help the health issues. Running or biking every morning at 5am just to destress before work. I also tried to limit meat and eggs. Didn't work.

So two months after leaving lipids dropped off magically as did the elevated blood pressure. My doctor couldn't believe it. He said nobody he has taken care of could beat this syndrome. He said he sees lots of guys like me, silicon valley engineer, twenty lbs overweight, hypertension and high cholesterol. He kept saying how did you do it. I decided to say exercise and diet. He actually shook his head in disbelief. I dumped him after I lost my employer health coverage. Idiot. Oh yeah, I dropped the twenty lbs too by doing absolutely nothing different.

Mind over body. Running scared all day is a dangerous game if done long term. I think this has been well established in rat stress tests. Funny how my doctor didn't have the link in his medical manuals.

As for your job...14 months isn't long. Can you slack off? Are you stressed because you may get fired? Fourteen months is a short time to build a performance based termination case. You are going to leave anyway so you are almost a short timer. I regret not slacking off more my last two years. It would have made no difference except I would have been happier.

[robby152]

Sclass,

What an inspiring story. I guess the phrase 'stress kills' is more accurate than we realize. Makes me want to speed up this journey and to chill out on the way as well.

Thanks,
Robert

[jacob]

Not overly so. I did notice a slight improvement in vision after RE. DW said I seemed happier.
(I was already exercising quite a bit while I was working. For those who don't, don't let yourself slide into inactivity. I did that in grad school and I can't recommend it.)

After FI I was somewhat more confident in terms of careers. The usual fiscal extortion implied or not ceased to work when I was no longer working for a paycheck.

When I started back on 9-5, I was very tired for the first few weeks after work. Took a nap right after I came home. Now I'm used to it, so no more naps. I did not notice any changes in health after starting back up, except maybe, because I interact with more people, I tend to catch more vira. That never happened when I was RE.

[tylerrr]

thanks for the responses and encouragement. I have no doubt some of my health problems will get way better once i retire and get to FI. Just about one more year.

[almostthere]

Six months into ERE/FI. I am much less stressed even with much less exercise. I exercised at least an hour a half a day to deal with work stress. I am also still losing weight. This may be because I am not eating sugar or maybe I am not eating sugar b/c I am not stressed. My married love life is also more regular and better.

[tylerrr]

Six months into ERE/FI. I am much less stressed even with much less exercise. I exercised at least an hour a half a day to deal with work stress. I am also still losing weight. This may be because I am not eating sugar or maybe I am not eating sugar b/c I am not stressed. My married love life is also more regular and better.

2 people close to me recently told me i've lost weight. My last weigh date i was about 10 pounds underweight. This was shocking to me because I'm a thin guy and don't need to lose weight. I can't believe stress has caused me to lose weight like this...

[Seneca]

Tylerrr,

Yes, I retired two years ago. I had high cholesterol and hypertension. I was on meds for the hypertension and the doctor was threatening meds for the lipids. I actually excercised a lot more when I worked because I thought it would help the health issues. Running or biking every morning at 5am just to destress before work. I also tried to limit meat and eggs. Didn't work.

So two months after leaving lipids dropped off magically as did the elevated blood pressure. My doctor couldn't believe it. He said nobody he has taken care of could beat this syndrome. He said he sees lots of guys like me, silicon valley engineer, twenty lbs overweight, hypertension and high cholesterol. He kept saying how did you do it. I decided to say exercise and diet. He actually shook his head in disbelief. I dumped him after I lost my employer health coverage. Idiot. Oh yeah, I dropped the twenty lbs too by doing absolutely nothing different.

Mind over body. Running scared all day is a dangerous game if done long term. I think this has been well established in rat stress tests. Funny how my doctor didn't have the link in his medical manuals.

As for your job...14 months isn't long. Can you slack off? Are you stressed because you may get fired? Fourteen months is a short time to build a performance based termination case. You are going to leave anyway so you are almost a short timer. I regret not slacking off more my last two years. It would have made no difference except I would have been happier.

This is a really incredible story, almost sounds like late night TV.

[Sclass]

Seneca,

Maybe I've found my next gig! A few years ago I was flipping channels late night in a hotel room and saw my retired neighbor. Dr. John Smith endorses our joint medicine. He was an anesthesiologist.

I was under a terrible amount of work related stress. It was a slow grinding stress with no relief.

The most amazing part was trimming down. There are a bunch of studies showing how you pack fat like a bear in fall when under duress. And cholesterol is an intermediate step to energy storage. I think this is just how my body reacted to being squeezed. I ate more to deal with the stress. More overdosing on comfort food to try to calm down. I don't do as many cardio days per week and I still lost weight.

I'm still mad at my doctor. He had me coming in every three months to check my BP and lipids. I suspect he was just doing that to bill my insurance. He didn't help me at all. When I said diet and exercise did it he didn't believe me...even though that's what he suggested.

So everyone I know say I look better. Slimmer, more color.

I couldn't believe it either till I started looking at stress induced cholesterol research. There is a connection. And it gets worse, stress compromises your immune system and your body's systems to repair genetic damage. Very scary stuff.

[FI Fighter]

Work is really destroying my health, so I can't wait until I get to FI. Hopefully in another year or so I can start actively trying to undo all the damage...

Sclass, thanks for sharing. I'm also an engineer from Silicon Valley... The stress is indeed toxic and slow grinding...

[mrcupcake]

Although my sample size is short (I'm on week three), I would agree that my health and wellbeing has improved significantly. Stress is such a big factor that is just hard to quantify medically, I guess.

Reduced stress
For me, even though I loved my job and my coworkers, I could not get the good parts without also enduring round-the-clock stress. My work was always on my mind. I would dream about it, causing insomnia and teeth-grinding.

Additional time leads to variety
Now that I have 8-12 additional hours of free time, I make healthy decisions with how to use that time: running, biking, basketball, reading, meditating, picnicking, video gaming, etc. I am more well-rounded and versatile. When I had a job, I would actually fill my little bit of free time with continued thoughts and tasks related to my work, paralyzed and unable to fully separate myself from the constant grind.

Exercise and movement
A lot of that reclaimed energy goes into exercise and freedom of movement. I can choose to sit down and read a book on a bench, turn a run into a long hike, eat in the park instead of the cafeteria or at my desk, etc.

Improved diet
I cook all my lunches now from (relatively) healthy ingredients like beans, pasta, bread, eggs and fruit. Although my diet decisions had improved over the past year or two, my old self used to eat a lot of fried chicken strips, pizza and even McDonald's.

I think the biggest one is the stress though, and having the freedom to do what makes you happy instead of your time being directed by others.

[SimpleLife]

I think the better question to ask is if dealing with the situation for another 14 months is worth the pension. In your situation, of course after you ERE your health will be better without all that stress and presumably long hours.

In my opinion the pension is worth sticking it out 14 months. You've come this far, if you quit now it will all be for nothing. Remember, a quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

Some things to help:

Take a walk twice during the work day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If you are working 12+ hour days, take a walk for each 4 hour period. It helps break up the day, and keeps you healthy while helping you relieve stress. I usually try to grab a co-worker to go with me when I go so we can vent to each other and laugh. It's a mental and physical pick me up.

Eat lunch. Make sure you take time to eat some food and stay hydrated. Get at least 7 hours sleep every night. Take a nap during the day if you are not getting enough sleep.