I would like to illustrate different ways of coping with stress with two brief case histories. Patient X, a long-serving civil servant received an urgent and unexpected notice from his supervisor that his workload was to be increased tenfold. Unable to cope with such demands, X succumbed to the effects of a mood disorder.
Talking with this patient revealed his deepest worry – that he would end up with the same fate as his colleague of the same rank who developed cancer from futile and repeated attempts to cope with workload-related stress. He eventually opted out by choosing early retirement, thereby releasing him from the pressure cooker.
As another case example, Patient Y was a hospital employee who had recently returned to the job from a work- related injury.
Faced with the mounting pressure from work and her peers, she decided to roll with it in order to make ends meet. She later developed a severe case of depression with a grim prognosis.
Although both of these individuals faced similar stress, they clearly adopted different coping strategies that led to two different outcomes.
X sacrificed work in order to retain the gift of health, while Y sacrificed her health for the sake of income.
Indeed, work and health appear to be two opposing forces in the rugged battlefield of modern life. Stress acts as a catalyst that magnifies this apparent contradiction.
It provides us with the warning signs that it is time to make some informed decisions about our habits of daily living: which values are worth holding on to and which ones should we consider letting go.
As with the above case histories, the two different lifestyle choices completely determined the impact of stress on health.
Readers may ask: if work and health are equally important priorities, what must one do? The take-home message here is simple: rest adequately.
Particularly in stressful times, one must devote special efforts to allocate space and time to allow one’s body and mind to return to a state of balance.
To take a step further, the apparently contradictory practice of busier times warrant more rest is the essence to effective stress management.
This is especially true of many friends of mine who devote six days to the job and one day to childcare – it all amounts to a full seven-day work week.
How can these busy folks appropriate de-stress when they are either working full-time or overdoing it with packed tour group schedules in an attempt to recharge their batteries during annual leave?
The best cure for stress is life’s simplest pleasures – making space and personal time to allow oneself to do less of something, or even taking a moment to just become aware of things happening in one’s immediate surroundings.
These simple techniques can greatly enhance the quality of rest, thereby reducing stress.
Readers are cautioned against resorting to passive stress coping strategies, such as the abuse of medications and alcohol due to stress.
Take-home tips on stress: it is crucial to channel, not accumulate, stress.
Dr Tony Wong is a clinical psychologist specializing in working with adults with mood disorders and chronic pain.
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Tony Wong
E-mail: dr.wongtony@gmail.com