Before you start reading this article, grab some paper and a pen and describe, in a few sentences, the kind of life you’d really, really like to lead. Done? Now read over what you’ve written. Does it include a four-letter word that looks like this: Work.
No, obviously not. We did say the kind of life you’d really, really want to lead, so where does work fit in? The life of your dreams, you think, may actually happen after you have no reason to work any more.
Which is too bad, really, because when you think about it, at least a couple, if not more, of the highs you had in the last six months came from… work.
Sure, it can be stressful and painful and annoying. Sure, the whole routine stops you from doing what you really want to do – namely, laze on a mountaintop or by the sea. Sure, you look forward to weekends like you’re going to die if you have to spend one more second in the office. But you can’t deny it. Sometimes work can give you a real high. Sometimes, it can actually be quite therapeutic too.
Therapy theory
“I’d have to qualify that statement a bit,” says Dr Madhumita Singh, psychologist at Samvedna Clinic. “In order for work to be therapeutic, certain prerequisites have to be fulfilled. For one, you’ve got to be involved in work that satisfies your aptitude and interests. For another, you must have job satisfaction – be at least fairly pleased with your work environment and salary and so on. And finally, you have to feel that you’re growing. But if you have all these, then yes, work can be therapeutic.”
Therapy theory
“I’d have to qualify that statement a bit,” says Dr Madhumita Singh, psychologist at Samvedna Clinic. “In order for work to be therapeutic, certain prerequisites have to be fulfilled. For one, you’ve got to be involved in work that satisfies your aptitude and interests. For another, you must have job satisfaction – be at least fairly pleased with your work environment and salary and so on. And finally, you have to feel that you’re growing. But if you have all these, then yes, work can be therapeutic.”
Admit it – there have been days when you bounced out of bed and couldn’t wait to hit the office. Or days when you crawled out of bed with the sole intention of running away from home for a bit and going to a place where you’d be appreciated. Either way, whether your motivation was positive or negative, your work gave you satisfaction; by the end of the day you were happily tired or didn’t want to go home at all.
Anuradha Singh, an instructional designer agrees when she says, “A couple of years ago, I decided to do the trendy thing and take a few months off work, but I got so bored. And I felt so useless that I actually started losing confidence in myself. Believe me, I was thrilled to get back to the grind. There’s a lot of stress on the job, but yes, there’s also the satisfaction of doing a good job, achieving something, that only work can give you.”
Think positive
Retirees and women who’ve stopped working to focus on their children know this: A life that no longer seems to include the possibility of achievement is a life without flavour. When you’re working, you're in contact with people of all kinds, you have the opportunity to hone your problem-solving skills, you get a break from your personal life – which also can get quite stressful – and you make use of your energy.
“It’s directly related to your sense of self-worth,” explains Dr Singh. “A productive day at the office can boost your self-esteem and make you feel good about yourself.”
It also has a lot to do with the kind of people you work with. For a lot of us, the best part about the office is our interaction with other people. Whether you’ve just moved cities, say, and you don’t know anyone but your colleagues, or even if you have an established social circle, the fact is that you spend at least eight hours of your day in contact with other people. Some of them may drive you up the wall and you may actually contemplate physical violence for some, but your interaction with all kinds of people who have all sorts of temperaments can bring a bit of unpredictability in your life - and make your thinking more fertile.
“It’s true that I complain a lot about my clients, but often, dealing with them can be great fun,” says Anand Fadnavis, who works in client servicing at an ad agency. “ It’s rather like a game and it can be so much fun batting a campaign back and forth. What can I say now, how do I counter that? And there’s a tremendous high when I get my way.”
Colleagues and bosses can often determine how much you enjoy your work life – and also your social life. If you’ve been able to make friends in your organisation, you’re much more likely to enjoy your work.
“A lot of your work will revolve around inter-personal interactions,” says Dr Arpita Anand, psychologist at Max Healthcare and Sama Nursing Home. “So it’s useful to focus on your relationships with other people at the office – it helps you settle in.” A word of advice though – don’t take this too far, or you may just wind up being seen as a smooth operator.
The grind rule
The 9-5 grind has been held responsible for everything from high stress levels to low creativity. You feel you’re stuck in a rut, that everything is the same everyday and you want to break free NOW! But often, it’s the routine that contributes to your happiness, says Dr Singh. “An unstructured work schedule often leads to negativity,” she says. “People who keep regular working hours are generally much happier than those with haphazard schedules, because the kind of attention they give to their work doesn’t often spill into the time they spend on other things in their lives.”
A routine, however reviled it is, is in fact one of the things you should stick to, should you be one of those people who use work as an escape from personal problems.
“When your office takes over your life, things can get a bit hellish,” says Nandita Prasad, a graphics designer. “I fell into that trap ages ago when I broke up with my husband and just couldn’t stand to be alone at home – or even with my friends because I couldn’t take so much sympathy. I just wanted to forget it all, and so I threw myself in my work 18 hours a day and at weekends.” The result was higher stress than Nandita had ever known.
“It does help, initially, to bury yourself in your work when something as confidence-shattering as a relationship break-up happens to you, because this at least becomes an area where you can prove you can do well,” says Dr Anand. “Yes, it helps you regain perspective because you’re able to shift your thoughts from the negative to another aspect of your life– but it shouldn’t be over done. Ultimately, all those pent-up issues will have to be faced. So the most functional approach is to focus on your work, yes, but stick to your routine.”
So, get set to go to work tomorrow – happily!
Make work theraputic
Leave your personal problems behind and focus on what you have to do. Not only will that make you feel productive and give you a sense of achievement; often, if you just put something on the backburner, you’ll find an out-of-the-box solution to it much faster.
Set realistic goals - figure out how much you can achieve and how much you can't. That way you won’t get all stressed out.
Stick to a routine. A lifestyle where you don’t know what you’re doing from one minute to the next can lead to negative thinking.
Take a break every now and then if your work permits it. Leave office early on a light day for instance, and go for a movie or shop or hang out. You’ll feel refreshed by the break and much happier about going in the next day.
Spend time with your colleagues - share interests and hobbies. Friends at work can make the office so much more fun!