We all live with stress, whether it's actually something worth stressing over or you're one of those weird people who strive on stress. They're usually referred to with a name that uses the word drama somehow.

At this time of the year, with sickness of some kind seeming to smack everybody (or somebody you know), stress levels can go through the roof. You feel bad, the weather refuses to clear up, kids are out of school (parents only) and your job is about to drive you crazy.

Ah, yes, the number one stressor for 99 percent of us. The workplace. Do you like your job, but despise your co-workers? Are your co-workers pretty good to be around but the job just doesn't do it for you?

What are the 10 worst jobs for stress? Is yours one of them? According to some website called careercast.com, these are the 10 jobs that will make you feel bad and hope that you win the lottery so you can buy your own private island:

Enlisted military personnel

Military General

Firefighter

Airline Pilot

PR executive

Senior corporate executive

Photojournalist

Newspaper reporter

Taxi driver

Police officer

The first four and the last one I can understand. It's five through nine that kind of baffle me. Being a newspaper reporter is more stressful than being a cop?

I am a newspaper reporter (small town version) and I can't think of anything I do that would case me to stress out more than a cop would. Yeah, there are times when you have to deal with editors, angry readers, lying politicians, looking at a story after it's gone to print and realizing you got something wrong.

But I can't imagine any of that beginning to compare to knocking on a strange door or pulling somebody over and having no idea what's going to happen in the next few seconds. Even being a newspaper reporter in a large city can't compare to the stress of law enforcement.

Taxi driver? I guess never knowing who's going to get in your cab could be stressful. Photojournalist? Maybe if you're dropped in Afghanistan or Iraq, but otherwise?

PR Executive? According to the website, having to do damage control for people who don't like to accept responsibility can be very stressful. I guess that means celebrities. Maybe politicians. But more stressful than law enforcement?

Senior corporate executive? Some nonsense about having to lead corporations and being the public face for these companies, but with a median salary of more than $100,000 (meaning most salaries are much larger), they get no sympathy.

The website says the average newspaper reporter makes $36,000 a year (Hey, boss! Look at this!), but the stress comes from there being none of these jobs out there and being asked to do more for the same pay.

That sounds about right. Papers are shutting down left and right and nobody wants to work in this business anymore. On the plus side, with nobody wanting this career, I've got a job until we shut down. Or I do something stupid. The odds are about 50-50 for each one to happen.

Why did law enforcement, mainly meaning cops on the street, rate as lower in stress than all the above jobs? Partly because there are a lot of the jobs out there. Every community has law enforcement, so if you're good at it and don't bring too much baggage, you can find work. And knowing that can be half the battle.

By the way, all you law enforcement officers in Monroe County, driving the roads and knocking on strange doors, did you know the median salary for a cop is $55,000? Hey, stop laughing!

Whatever the case may be when it comes to our stress, I'm sure sun and blue skies would help immeasurably. Hopefully by the time you read this, that's what we'll have. Never mind the fact it'll be 16 degrees.

michael.thomason@advocateanddemocrat.com | 442-4575