Emotional Invincibility

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04-14-2012 | 09:55 PM

#11

CaptainCarl

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I'm a man of my word.

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From: Devil's Advocate

Dealing with the stress is another factor that plays into our everyday lives. I think APC is a great place to come blow off steam sometimes. Salukipilot4590 put it best in another thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salukipilot4590

This isn't a high school career day...you're not convincing youngsters to stay in school/not get Mary Jane Pregnant/don't do drugs...

APC is a support group.

A support group for those who already made the plunge and have to deal with it.

04-14-2012 | 10:25 PM

#12

MrBigAir

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Quote:

Working conditions have worsened to the point that along with emotional invincibility, physical invincibility is being demanded as well. Extremely long workdays, constant time changes, irregular schedules, and the feeling that their companies don't have their backs, are wearing down the employees to an extent I have not seen before. After all, no human being ever "gets used to" jet lag, exhaustion, sleepless nights, or the feeling of not being valued.

Boy ain't this the truth. This is what is crazy-- that we make decisions everyday that not only focus on safety, efficiency, SOP's, etc., but we're also making decisions that will keep us from the roving "eye of Mordor" and flaming whip of discipline and the negative consequences that emanate from the companies that employ us in their zeal to punish.

On a reduced-rest 8hr overnight recently I took a van to the airport that gave us 30 extra min. of sleep but got us to the plane exactly 10 min past report. Not ideal, but the cost benefit of the extra 30 min. outweighed the lateness, especially since we could still easily get the a/c out early. Some gate agent called the company and next thing I know I'm being interrogated and running serious defense. GMAFB!

05-11-2012 | 07:51 PM

#13

FlightGear

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From: Journo by night, irrigator by day

Quote:

Originally Posted by etflies

The "lucky to have a job" mentality doesn't give carte Blanche to people to do/say whatever they please, employers included. Lucky, sure, but that doesn't make people imperceptible to all of the b.s. going on. It still takes its toll.

Luck is a government cop-out IMO. Our governments shouldn't be in the business of luck, Las Vegas will get jealous.

All of you people working in avaition should be insulted by this. It is not luck you fly planes. It is not luck I work in agriculture. The only people that consider our employment / career development as luck is the Government... We are free and strong. Our jobs are not a result of random numbers. We choose our future.

Surely convincing people that they are 'lucky' to have a job certainly puts emotional pressure on workers, no matter the industry..

05-11-2012 | 08:27 PM

#14

tomgoodman

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From: 767A (Ret)

Time for a poem:

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

05-12-2012 | 07:04 AM

#15

LNL76

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Joined: Feb 2012

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From: Whiskey Papa

Excellent article! It's very sad that people who need help are afraid to seek it due to the damage it can do to their career. I think Aviation is the only field where this happens. There are many medical professionals who have lives in their hands on a daily basis who seek and get help for emotional/psychological problems. (Let's not even go into doctors who are addicted to drugs or are alcoholics.)

05-12-2012 | 03:33 PM

#16

Javok

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fantastic article. thank you for sharing it. I've got a psychiatrist in the family and she has said that she has never been a stranger to pilots; and this was said around 4 years ago.