The Stress of monotony

While the globe trotters are aware of the stress that change can bring in, any public sector employee in India would vouch for the stress associated with monotony.

There is no ‘doctor ordered’ medicine for coping up with stress though there are many ways of dealing with it. For a person who is used to frequent changes, stability for a while and relaxation by way of vacation could be an ideal stress buster.

 Nevertheless for the stress brought in by monotony, it is very difficult to find a practical solution. Creating a change or coping up with a change is never too easy.  It causes more stress and therefore cannot be an antidote to the stress of monotony. This form of stress sets in very gradually and grows silently.

While some people are able to handle it well, for some this could be as difficult to deal with as it is for a jet setter.

The picture that has been emerging in the past decade or so clearly indicates that neither the monotonous government job nor the high paying private job is a permanent solution to stress. In today’s world we have to think differently and learn to understand our own system and needs. When fatigue or burnout presents itself, we have to create the change necessary for ourselves and then be able to get back to work once we feel rejuvenated.

There was a time in human history when people knew what they had to do and went about their business. Those were times when lazy people were outnumbered by the active ones. Today the scenario is changing and people are used to making use of external resources and getting their work done. This has created monotony in the entire system and the active people are outnumbered by their lazy counter parts.

This explains why there is so much of talk about stress and how to manage it. The solution though is very simple. Stop, think, work.