Stress-Free Jobs That Pay Well??

photo credit. bsm 2011

Think your job is stressful? I would imagine we all do. Ever find yourself envying what we think might be a less stressful job? I know I have. There are several jobs that I used to think were stress free. I’ve even tried a few of them, to no avail, I'm afraid.

Surfing the net one day, I happened to find a link that said “Stress free jobs that pay well.” It sounded perfect to me. Sign me up for one of those! Thinking I had found the Holy Grail, I eagerly clicked on it.

I laughed bitterly, when I saw that the first listing was Yoga Instructor.  The writer of this article had only been a student of yoga, I'd imagine. I have witnessed up close, the stress of being a yoga instructor. My boyfriend is one. It is all very zen until you deal with all of the bureaucracy of a business. Corporate executives don’t understand yoga, yet they are often in charge.

He would often show up for class only to find that the room was being used for something else.  He would, then, have to explain to 10 students why class was moved or cancelled.  You will always have the stress of unmet expectations, with anything, I’d imagine. Many women are looking to feel the burn with a more cardio, power yoga feel; not true yoga. That’s not him.

I laughed again when I saw Massage Therapist on the list. I have a friend who was an MT, and swears she’d rather die than massage another fat sweaty body. She was quite adamant that she would never do it again.

I’ve heard stories that make my stomach turn. Ask any massage therapist to bend your ear with their horror stories with things like poor hygiene and uncontrollable bodily functions. I’m sure they also have to deal with unmet expectations as well.

The thing is, even the most seemingly peaceful, perfect job has it’s share of stress. What is stressful to you might not be stressful to me, and vice versa. It’s not necessarily the stress of the job, it’s your reaction to the stress, that makes it bearable or unbearable.

When you pursue your passion, when you are doing what you love, you aren’t stressed.  There will, no doubt, be things you don’t like, potentially stressful parts, but they won’t bug you as much.

My own quest for a zen job led me in several directions. I haven’t found it yet, because it doesn’t exist. But I can honestly say that my writing career is probably the most zen of anything I’ve tried. Not that it doesn’t have it’s share of stress, it does. But since it is my passion, it makes the stressors a little more bearable.

c. 2011