The Ideal Jobs for Low Stress

What Job is Right for You?

Do you thrive on uncertainty, love a challenge, and like the unexpected?
Or do you prefer consistency, even keel projects, predictable outcomes?
Your answer will determine which job style is right for you.

CareerCast.com has recently done a study on the jobs with the lowest stress levels. Those include audiologists, dieticians, medical records technicians, hair stylists, university professors with tenure, multi-media artists, librarians and jewelers.

The ones with the most stress include jobs with unexpected and unpredictable conditions, like police, firefighters, airline pilots, military, newspaper reporter and taxi drivers.

For a complete look at the article, and expected growth in job categories,
go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/stressful-jobs/story?id=21441041#

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Can You Really Feel Better By Helping Someone?

Relieve Your Stress and Depression through Volunteering

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia

One of the last things you might think of doing when you are very stressed is to take the time to help someone else, volunteering. But it can truly be the best thing you can do. I know this from my own personal experience.

Not too long ago, I was tired, frustrated and upset over a business issue, not sure what to do about it. I was very stressed. Heading home with my husband that night, we turned down our street. He said, “There’s a girl sitting on the corner crying.” We immediately stopped the car and I got out to talk to her. Turns out, she was working for one of those magazine sales companies where they drop off youths and pick them up at the end of the day. She had no phone and no money; her ride was two hours late. So we called her manager and he said a ride was on its way. She waited in the car with us, shared her tragic life story, and when no ride arrived after 45 minutes, we turned around and drove her the half hour distance to her motel. When we arrived, I spoke to the manager about taking better care of this young woman (she was 20,) gave her some money and hugged her goodbye with some encouraging words. As we drove home again, all thoughts about my problems had completely vanished. My concerns were for her and how I could help others like her in the future. I realized my problems were far less pressing. There are those who are struggling to get by every day on the streets. It gave me a whole new appreciation of how fortunate I am.

A new study by Dr. Suzanne Richards and the University of Exeter Medical School, UK, confirms what other studies have said in the past: volunteering is associated with lower depression, increased well-being, and a 22 % reduction in dying.

There are infinite ways to volunteer:
• mentor a child • help a neighbor repair their home
• organize a fundraiser for the arts
• work at a soup kitchen
• help at a homeless shelter
• participate in a “clean up your park” project
• volunteer at an animal shelter
• read to seniors at a senior center or hospital
• collect diapers for newborn centers
• help out at elementary schools
• collect books for literacy programs and then read for them

Try it. No matter how upset you are about your life, you will experience an instant turn-around. Always come from your heart and volunteer for something that matters to you. And just like that, your problems will seem insignificant.

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Don’t Let Email Run Your Life

Manage Your Email Time and Reduce Stress

Say No — You don’t have to look at your email all the time….

I’ve heard so many professionals tell me in my speeches that they get hooked by their email and get stressed out. Some even have an alarm that rings or chimes every time a new email comes in. Turn that OFF! No wonder your stress levels are skyrocketing through the roof! Setting intentional boundaries around email protects focus and energy, which are critical components of leadership resilience in high-demand environments. Here are some simple ways to destress your email.

1. Remember Snail Mail? You know, you go to your mailbox, pull out the letters, flyers and junk mail and trash about half of it before you even get home? Do that with email. Organize it into folders: important action, read later, associations,etc. and trash the rest.

2. Only check email 3-4 times a day– Do your HIGHEST PRIORITY money making tasks first always every day. Then check email at lunch, when you take breaks. No alarms or flashes when you get a new one. It’s probably spam anyway.

3. Use a SPAM FILTER. One of my many email addresses (yes I get hundreds of emails every day) has no spam filter. And now in addition to the Viagra ads, I get Asian character emails which I cannot read. I keep that email only because I want to make it easy for people to reach me, but I have spam filters on all the others.

4. Have No -Email times every day. Sunday, my husband and I went to the beach. Ahh- glorious sunshine, surf, quiet and peace. No email. None- just focused time on my family. Take time like that everyday. Don’t make your children resent your phone. It can wait.

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4. Have email-free times everyday. We were at the beach on Sunday, and even though I have a smartphone, I did not read my email at all until late in the day. It was wonderful to have that freedom. It lowers your stress and frees you to appreciate the people around you.

Water is Critical to Your Health & Productivity

Are you massively dehydrated?

In many parts of the world, water is a rare and precious commodity. 780 Million people lack access to clean water. And yet in the Western world, we take it for granted, waste it on our lawns and forget to hydrate ourselves.

Every cell in our body depends on water to function properly. Every day, we lose about 8 cups of water, which must be replenished.

A 2% drop in body water can trigger lack of concentration, short-term memory problems and trouble focusing. A 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25-30% loss in energy; a 15% drop causes death.

80% of North Americans are suffering from dehydration, which causes:

• energy loss
• mental and physical exhaustion
• headaches and stiff joints
• anxiety and stress
• kidney stones
• cancer and diabetes

Even mild dehydration will slow down your metabolism by 3%!

A recent report says drinking 5 glasses of water daily cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45%, and the risk of breast cancer by 79% . Imagine what would happen if you drank 8 glasses of water a day!

Caffeine dehydrates you as a diuretic, so for every cup of coffee or tea you drink, have two glasses of water. Avoid drinking soda. The active ingredient is phosphoric acid, which leaches calcium from your bones, causing osteoporosis.

Carry around a glass water bottle, fill it regularly from the purified fountain at work, and drink it every hour. You’ll be amazed by how much more energy you have and how much better you feel.

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Savor the Present Moment

Increase Your Happiness with this Technique

After battling pneumonia, I was recently on vacation in the islands. I had one focus: to enjoy the present moment.

That’s not quite as easy as it sounds. Our brains are wired to continually think, and many of us project about the future (work, money, family, commitments, etc.)

But I tried hard to silence my brain and just be. Looking at the exquisite turquoise water, I absorbed the beauty. Walking past a brilliantly hued hibiscus, I appreciated the vibrant color. Listening to chattering parrots, I enjoyed their unique way of communicating. And a funny thing happened. I became more peaceful inside. I truly relaxed and felt the simple joy of the moment.

A new study featured in this month’s Prevention magazine explains it: Savoring the moment rather than analyzing or critiquing it gives you a huge boost in happiness. So what does savoring look like? Part childlike exuberance with whooping or whee kind of glee, and part adult wisdom of “enjoy life while you can.” This meant all the more to me since I had just been so gravely ill, but it worked. For the most part, I spent all vacation in the present moment and it brought me such joy and peace. So yes – your life can be better right now: just savor the present moment.

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Is Your Job Worth Your Life?

When Work Stress Becomes a Health Risk

Chronic work stress is not just exhausting. Over time, it becomes physiological. When pressure remains constant and recovery never happens, cortisol stays elevated, sleep erodes, decision-making declines, and immune resilience weakens.

Burnout is not a character flaw. It is a biological response to sustained overload.

If you are seriously asking whether your job is harming your health, that question deserves careful attention. Leaders often ignore early warning signs until performance, relationships, or health force a reckoning.

Unchecked stress does not plateau. It compounds.

What to Do When Stress Has Crossed the Line

Interrupt the pattern immediately.
If possible, take structured time away. Even a short reset allows the nervous system to calm enough to restore perspective.

Clarify what you actually need.
Many professionals discover that title, compensation, or expectations are misaligned with their wellbeing. Define your non-negotiables for sustainable leadership.

Rebuild clarity before making major decisions.
Extreme stress creates urgency. Clarity creates strategy. Stabilize first. Then evaluate options from a grounded position.

Leaders who develop structured recovery habits early are far less likely to reach crisis levels of burnout. Sustainable performance is built intentionally, not reactively.

If work stress is becoming unsustainable, explore practical leadership strategies to prevent burnout before it escalates at Prevent Burnout.

Learn more about building long-term resilience through the Leadership Resilience System and practical stress management strategies.

Choosing your health is not weakness. It is disciplined leadership.

The Absolute Best Stress Reliever

The #1 Stress Reliever: Fun Exercise

We all know exercise is important, and truly all the research points to exercise as the best panacea for relieving stress, extending life, removing toxins from your body and preventing serious diseases like obesity and diabetes. The key to sticking with exercise is to make it FUN and find a way to squeeze it into your day.

For my husband and me, the big three are salsa dancing, bicycling, andyoga. And when we don’t have time for anything else, walking for 15 minutes will do.

How to Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Day

I recently started a short-term consulting project that takes most of my day, and it means my healthy habits have been pushed aside for meetings, etc. I’ve been trying to incorporate more exercise into these busy days and here’s what I have learned so far:

– take the stairs whenever possible

– park far away from the entrance to increase your walking

– get up every hour from sitting (sitting too long is sooooo bad for you)

– go to bed earlier and do an exercise video before work; often it is 20 min of yoga

– take a long walk at lunch time

– find an exercise class at lunch or early morning.

(And if I plan ahead and take a healthy lunch to work, I am less likely to eat the wrong things.)

What do you do to sneak exercise into your life? Love to hear from you – please share any suggestions you may have. Email them to me at orders@firedupnow.com and with your permission, I will share them in future posts.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Add “New” to Fire Up! Your Life

Keep Your Life Fresh by Trying New Things

Brendon Burchard in his new book The Charge has some great suggestions about staying Fired Up! Something you may not have thought of is trying new things. The brain is hardwired for novelty and challenge and needs to be engaged to keep thriving. Here are a few ways to incorporate new into your life:

• 90 day getaway – every 90 days go away and explore someplace you have not been, doing new activities. It does not have to be expensive- it just needs to be different.

• Restaurant tour; explore restaurants you have never visited, try different kinds of food

• Spend time with new people – go to different networking or social events and broaden your circle.

• Develop new skillsets – my husband and I just installed a new glass tile backsplash in our kitchen. It was challenging but fun, and we love the results.

Time Management Tip- Ignore Email and Focus

Email is one of our biggest distractions. Do NOT start the day with email. Instead, start with a clear FOCUS of what you most need to get done that day for finance-building and results-driven activities. Make a list of your top 6 priorities and tackle those. Check email only at specific times a day and do NOT have an audio bell letting you know every time you get a tweet or email. It takes 25 minutes to get back to concentration when you are distracted. Use your time to succeed at the most important tasks.

People who leave their email on all day typically change screens 37 times a hour
How productive can you be with that? Manage your time and be effective by checking email on YOUR schedule.

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Do You Live In One of America’s Most Stressful Cities?

Here’s What To Do if That’s the Case

A new study ranks the most stressful cities in the US, based on divorces, commutes, unemployment rates and crime. The most stressful cities are Tampa, Las Vegas, Miami, Jacksonville, and Detroit. The least stressful are Pittsburgh, Virginia Beach, Cambridge, Mass., Nassau-Suffolk, NY, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

So what can you do if you live in a stressful city?

Implement one of these top 5 stress relievers:

1. Get more sleep- you need at least 7 hours a night every night. Less is a carcinogen according to the WHO.

2. Go on vacation at least 2X a year without cellphone& laptops.

3. Exercise daily for at least 20 minutes. It’s a terrific stress reliever & keeps you healthy.

4. Drink lots of water throughout the day. 40% of North Americans are dehydrated.

5. Volunteer- giving back gives your perspective, changes your focus, and helps you appreciate your life.

For more tips and to read a free chapter from Stress Express: 15 Instant Stress Relieversgo here:http://firedupnow.com/graphics/StressExpressfreechapter.pdf

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