Stress with a Capital 'S'

Stress with a Capital ‘S’

By:

Dr Madan M Vasandani

 

Jakarta, Jakarta, oh my Jakarta. Thou hath given me so much stress. Sometimes we wonder how much more we can take of this utter confusion. Everyday we are faced with situations or people that are a more like a knife instead of thorn in our flesh. Running the rat race takes us to higher heights but it has its consequences. The Stresses that we go through everyday has definitely affected our health. Identifying the problem is usually the first step into a solution. Here are some of the common causes of stress in this wonderful city of ours:

1. The Traffic: If you work from 9 am to 5 pm, I am sure you get your fair share or maybe even more of traffic. People are spending more and more time in the car and less and less time at home. I have actually seen people pulling their hair while driving and at times in the midst of the noise I hear a faint cry coming out of the car beside me. It is a sad fact that Jakarta traffic is beyond reality. All of us have an opinion of the reasons of the traffic and what the government should or should not do. We are all confused why we are stuck in this lane when there is an absolutely empty (busway) lane beside us. People, our frustration will not get us to our destination any faster so might as well enjoy your time while in traffic. Get a book and allow your driver to fight his way in traffic. A good way to get our mind of the traffic is good music or a good movie could be a stress buster in times of crazy traffic.
2. Communication: If you are a veteran expat in Jakarta you would have realized that not everybody speaks English. Even those who claim to speak English don’t really understand what you try to say sometimes. How many times have you got the Chicken when you actually ordered the fish? Realize that English is not the first language here and be more patient with the people when you are instructing them to do something. It saves you an emotional exhaustion and also a lot of time
3. No Maids – The lebaran season just passed and many of you are still left ‘maidless’. You are constantly asking the question “Where are all the maids?” It is amazing how most of us can live without help in our home country but when we are in Jakarta we cannot do without maids. In Jakarta all of us including me are pampered by the services of our maids. We are used to people cleaning our mess, washing our laundry, driving us around or even walking our dogs. When suddenly all this luxury disappears we are left in a state of shock. The way to get around this source of stress is get used to doing things on your own. You will find that it’s difficult initially but once you get the hang of doing things, life becomes easier. Maids will always come and go but life still goes on.
4. Financial issues – I have heard from many of my patients that Jakarta is not the easiest place to set up a business. The beurocracy and disorganization of the system here is similar to the traffic situation. Everything takes a very long time but you ultimately reach your goal. So instead of pulling your hair while waiting for things to happen, sit down, relax and maybe have a nice cold lager to sooth your burning emotion.   
5. Family issues – If you are new here and you left your family behind, I can imagine how homesick you can be. This can lead to a disorder called adaptation disorder which is caused by many factors and one of them is missing your previous environment. If you are one of these guys, its time that you get off that chair and hang out with your friends. If you do not have friends, your colleagues are a good substitute. You never know they might turn out becoming your friends. If you are here with your family and everybody is not happy, then maybe it is time for a holiday. Indonesia is a beautiful country and we are blessed with a beautiful island called Bali which is only a 1 hour plane ride away.

And finally

6. Health – Lets face it, Indonesia is not the best place to be sick. The tropical disease that is lurking at the corner and the lack of Pristine Quality health services are some of the reasons why many are concerned when they are told to move to Indonesia. Centrepoint Healthcare is located in Midplaza 1 at Sudirman and we ensure that you get the quality of health service you deserve. Our doctors and nurses are here to help you get back to good health. So do not be stressed if you get sick in Jakarta

Jakarta is a difficult place as it is. Do not allow the mess get to you and stress you beyond the normal. For every problem including your health there is solution. Allowing this problem to stress you out will only cause the problem to become bigger, so lets follow Bobby Mcferrins suggestion “In every life we have some trouble, when you worry (stress) you make it double, Don’t worry be happy”