This stress thread has been interesting to me because, as I've mentioned probably more times than anyone here wants to hear, I retired last month in order to take care of some personal obligations including taking care of my elderly mother. I'm pretty young to retire -- 53 -- but I've worked full-time since I was 17 and I'm ready for a break. I may enter the job market again with something part-time later on but right now I need to be here, doing this. Anyway, today I met an old friend for lunch for the first time since I retired. He couldn't get over how "relaxed" I seemed to be. I've gotten the same comment from a couple of other people, too. It made me wonder -- did I give off a "buzz" of low-level stress constantly the whole time I was working? To hear my friends talk, I must have. The things that worry me now are probably more important than anything I ever did in my job, but they are MY worries -- my family, my finances, etc. Unlike my job, these things are at least partially under my control, and maybe that's what makes the difference.
Or maybe it's just that I'm getting more sleep.
