Write a 2 pages paper on things that causes stress in my person life. 1Stress Page A day in the life of a typical human being, such as me, is spent attempting to avoid obstacles that slow down the normal flow of the day. These obstacles tend to be abundantly available and considerably painful in the amount of stress that they can add to an otherwise average day. Three annoyances that cause me a great deal of foot-stomping, ulcer-creating distress include attempting to keep the car clean of snow and grit throughout the winter, waiting in line to pay at the register, and store return policies that turn out to be far from the truth.

I enjoy the changing seasons. There is nothing quite as beautiful as the colorful leaves of the fall and the crisp clean look of winter’s new fallen snow. Or how perfectly it molds to an automobile. Ice first, licking and adhering to the windows, followed by a nice heaping layer of snow. This isn’t a terrible thing, on those days one finds they have fifteen or twenty minutes to allow the car to warm up and one can take the time to brush it all off. Yes, all of it. Begin with the top of the car and brush it completely off. Don’t forget the rear lights and the head lights. Then commence scraping. For the sad fool that doesn’t own a brush/scraper combo, a swift movement of the forearm will be sufficient, and a credit card will do well to take care of the ice, but take care to not break the card in half and lose those meager spending privilege. Again cleaning the snow off of a car could be enjoyable on a day of leisure. For the rest of the winter, prepare to shaking violently in the car that is not properly warmed up, while looking through a credit card sized hole that is all that could be managed to be cleared from the windshield. As for the rest of the car, just hope that it blows off before red lights flash in the rearview mirror. The days following that fresh fallen snow, look forward yellow-brown salt filled slush to be

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splattered and clinging to the car. This disgusting mess proves to be even more stressful because if it is not cleaned promptly, it can lead to the decay of a car’s finish, not to mention ones’ clothes.

Number two stress on this scale is waiting in line at the cash register. During the holiday season this feeling is heightened to dangerous levels. Grocery store or mall, the story is usually the same. People waiting in line to be able to call their purchases mine. Upon reaching the check out register there is always the task of choosing the proper lane. It is important that one takes into consideration the amount of items of the people already waiting, as well as the length of the line. Regardless of the careful thought into this process, it seems that whichever lane has been chosen is doomed to be the most problematic. For some reason the high tech scanner won’t read the tag on one of the items of the man in front of you, so a manager has to be called, a manager who is on a smoke break, who is waited for, foot tapping and fingers drumming until all is given up in a storm of fury out of the store. Later this fury is commonly regretted because a return the very store is required.

On the same note, store return policies that are untrue might be the most frustrating of all. One chain in particular, we’ll call them Worst Purchase, might lead the pack in misleading the masses. Worst Purchase guarantees high-quality high-tech products and will take them back if something does not work. Worst Purchase neglects to tell customers that, if they in any way open or try the use the product first and find it at faul,t that they will not take it back. Say, for example, a person receives a CD for a gift only to find that it won’t play. Worst Purchase will

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not only not take it back (with the receipt) and not offer in store credit, they won’t even play the CD to prove the customer’s claim.

After of day of scraping icy, dirty slush and waiting hours in the customer service line, hearing “I’m sorry that’s not in our policy” might just end a person’s shopping experience with someone in the hospital. It is remarkable to note that these three major stresses in my life highlight the holiday season, a time of peace and goodwill. Sarah Jones, fitness director of Spectrum Athletic Club says, “Try to involve exercise in your holiday” in order to reduce stress (Hunt). Take her advice and get out there and scrape!

Works Cited

Hunt, Paula. “Survive the holidays with low-stress plan.” MySA.com. Express-News. 14 November 2005. http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/health/stories/MYSA111405.1P.HolidayStrategies.1162dc15.html. 2 December 2005.