Work: Benediction or malediction???

Have you ever felt USED UP or UTTERLY SPENT at the end of the workday? If so you are far from alone. In one survey, 1 in 3 employees admitted that they felt that way after each work day. This reminds me of what one of my lectures once said: “you go to bed exhausted, you wake up exhausted”. Additionally, one author highlighted: “Millions of us are overworked, overscheduled, overwhelmed. We’re just plain stressed out.” For most workers resting for the recommended 7-8 hours a night is considered a luxury. This comes as no surprise in an environment where more people work longer hours and take more work home—all the while having bosses who seldom offer a word of appreciation.

Chronic overwork though has been linked to obesity, alcoholism, heart disease, workplace accidents, drug dependency, anxiety, fatigue, ulcers, heart disease, depression and even to suicide. The Japanese have a term for it—karoshi, “death from overwork.”

Various work-related factors contribute to stress. These include a change in working conditions, boredom, disappointment, competition, injustice, trouble with supervision, a change in responsibilities, retirement and dismissal.  Reacting to such stress, some change jobs or environment. Others seek to suppress such stress, only to find that it spills over into other areas of life, most commonly the family.

However, work in itself is not a curse in fact it can be a benediction. Work can bring joy and satisfaction. So that even without commendation we shall gain a level of satisfaction and joy from doing our job well. Quality and excellence in the workplace have always been praised. We all possess skills and abilities that when put to good use can help us achieve that.  Think of this: even the most stressful circumstances can produce constructive results, for example, stress can gear us up to meet a challenge, to persevere under pressure or to endure. Therefore, looking at stress in a positive way can be of great help.

To live a satisfying, meaningful life obviously involves making time for secular work, but also for family, for recreation, and for spiritual needs. “Let’s face it,” says, one family man, “No one on his or her deathbed says, ‘I wish I had spent more time at work.” So these two areas of life, work and family, are important we wouldn’t want one to override the other, this is not easy though especially if you have bills to pay, which is why it is important to learn the art of balance. How?

For one, do not let your profession become your obsession. Protect your physical and emotional health by taking time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Secondly, small doses of stress are easier to control than large amounts of stress that have built up over a period of time. “Make a daily practice of stress management” advises one doctor. Not only does this help us to reduce the stressful triggers in life that can be reduced but it also helps us to control our response to the stresses that are unavoidable.

Furthermore, try getting a little more exercise and going to bed a little earlier. Life has beautiful rhythms. There is a time for hard work and a time for rest. Our creator gave the night for the kind of rest that genuinely restores the body and mind.

Additionally, good communication with family and friends is vital, not to be overlooked also is the value of a sense of humor in dealing with stress. Laughing is both refreshing and healthful, medical research shows “the body produces endorphins and suppresses the production of adrenaline (a stress hormone) when we laugh.”

Finally, in keeping work stress at bay, don’t expect perfection of yourself or others.

Rebecca Nabeshya.

Marketing Consultant

Adroit Consult International.

rebeccanabesha@gmail.com

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