Stressed and trouble to relax
Hello there,
I fly as a captain for a commuter airline. A very nice job for me which I enjoy a lot. But recently I have noticed some very nasty side affects to the job. On a normal day I find myself doing 4+ legs with short turn-arounds. The usual schedule for this type of operation. With aircraft and cabin crew changes this can be quite hectic though. So far so good, since I enjoy having to be a bit flexible.
But the last few months I have noticed that I am having more and more problems shaking of the stress from the job. I find myself getting in the high gear and staying there till well after the last parking checklist. I think that my performance on the job is not affected as such because when something irregular happens I will take the time for it to sort out the problem, but I can feel my health is reacting in other ways.
When I finish the day and head for my car I find myself regularly with pain in my chest at various levels. Also it takes me quite some time to relax after that and I suspect I take some of the things which have happened home with me. And on top of it all I find myself smoking more then a pack a day these times. All does not seem very normal to me for a guy under 30.
Can anybody give some advice on how to cope with the situation, or maybe some experiences from you guys on this matter. It would mean a lot to me, this thing is controlling my live a bit.
Thanks