When one is under stress, the whole world seems dark. There would be no light at the end of the tunnel, or perhaps they fail to see it. All those beautiful and inspirational quotes they once read while scrolling down social media fall short. It’s like falling into a deep dark hole. That is the point they need to seek help. Or else, it may become worse and even lead to suicide. Stress can come from both personal and professional life. A few recent incidents, including the suicide of SI Gopakumar, who reportedly took the extreme step after allegedly facing harassment from his superior officials, shed light on stress at workplace. If reports are to be believed, 17 police officials, including women, have committed suicide within the last year in Kerala.
Stress is a by-product that comes with almost every job these days; only the magnitude differs. Police Department, a workforce that reels under acute stress, records rising number of suicides, the reasons of which are attributed to stress and depression.
A civil police officer who doesn’t want to be named says, “I have been in the force for seven years now and I have seen many colleagues attempting suicide and even taking the extreme step unable to handle the pressure. Other than the stress management sessions undergone during the training period, I haven’t attended any other programme that aims at ensuring the mental health of the police officials. Even if such classes happen, those who ‘need’ to attend the session might not be part of it. It all ends as a meeting of available cops and a photo session. The sights we see, the crimes we handle, the pressure upon us and the disciplinary action and mental harassment by superiors result in stress in unimaginable proportions.
But not a single step has been taken to prepare us to cope with such situations. The need of the hour is to identify those who require help and ensure their safety.”
How can we deal with it? Certain companies, especially in the IT industry, take care of their employees. They offer recreational programmes to cheer up their workers. Such initiatives are helpful to some extent. Pramitha Ramarajan, who works as system analyst at UST Global in Info Park, Kochi, says fun activities and frequent trips keep them energised. “I have a good work-life balance,” she says. “In our company, different groups organise fun-filled games and programmes. Birthday celebrations and occasional lunch get-togethers help brighten up the work space. Everyone relaxes during that time. There are also art and music clubs that enable us to pursue our passion,” she says.
However, according to another IT professional, who quit her job lately, recreation may not help in all situations. “If it is just work pressure, it will help. But, it will not work in situations where you are a victim of office politics,” she says.
Allotting leisure time is not applicable in all industries. An actor may not be able to enjoy such privilege. Mridhula Vijai, who acts in the serial Bharya, says, “There is no time for big breaks. It depends upon the set. Some directors may give us time while others want to quickly wrap up things,” she says.
For her, stressful time is when she has to continuously shoot episodes. “Those days, I will start working early in the morning and continue till late night. It may go on for a few days, say 15 days. I will be stressed then,” she says and adds that she has to be careful not to show her tiredness on face. “It won’t matter in all professions that you take care of your looks. Our case is different. We will have to take care of our skin and hair and eat healthy to look pleasant on screen. And, we have to perform before the camera suppressing our stress,” she adds.
For Mridhula, rejuvenation period is the 15 days she gets after a hectic shooting. “I sleep and relax as much as I need then,” she says. “I also do other programmes and focus on my studies during that period,” she adds.
Surprisingly, stress management packages are in vogue now. There are wellness clinics offering counselling and stress busting packages. Vishnu M.K., assistant manager at Ayuruniverse that offers stress management programmes, says, “It is a fast-growing industry. The stress level among us has increased. So is the demand for wellness treatment. At our centres, a doctor assesses the health of the client and prescribes treatment accordingly.”
It is an expensive affair. “Here, it is expensive because we create our medicine using roots of medicinal plants, which are rare now. Our clients are mostly from Europe, Russia and the US. It has become a part of their bucket list. We also have enquiries from outside Kerala, but not from within the state,” he says.
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