‘Trying to make ends meet in rising costs cause of stress’
‘Living standard getting expensive’
By Cinatra Fernandes
KUWAIT CITY, April 27: In this week’s Arab Times online poll, readers shared the causes of stress in their seemingly robotic lives. The majority of respondents felt that trying to make ends meet in a constant price rise world was the most taxing.
27% of respondents felt that the rising standard of living in Kuwait was a growing stress factor. “I am very stressed these days because expenses are rising while my income has stagnated. Our apartment rent is due for a hike this summer, and I hope the owner doesn’t increase it by a large amount.”
12% of respondents shared they were most stressed while meeting project deadlines. Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is defined as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work and in our fast paced world, it is seen to be growing in incidence. The main work factors cited by respondents include increased workloads, tight deadlines, more responsibility and a lack of managerial support, among other factors.
“It often happens then if you are steadily working on a project, as you near its completion, things become stressful. Sometimes tasks pile up, things go wrong and adjustments have to be made. Finite time and endless tasks is a sure recipe for stress”, a young professional pointed out.
Others believed that they thrived in time urgent environments, “I tend to procrastinate a lot so I require deadlines to motivate me to work”, a reader shared.
Stress is difficult to measure and it is associated with increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders. It also affects men and women differently and varies with age. “I think coping with the stress of work differs from person to person and is not really contingent on the environment. Two people in identical situations react to pressures very differently”, a reader pointed out.
6% of voters shared that competition and demands had elevated their stress levels. “I work in an area of the service industry that is highly competitive. We are constantly under pressure to keep up with the changing needs of the market and staying ahead of the competition, this can be very draining”, a reader shared.
16% of respondents got stressed when things did not work the way they were supposed to. “I think many people get frustrated at work the most when things don’t go their way, especially if there is an emotional investment involved. I used to be like that but I have learned that work is work, it doesn’t define my happiness.”
Others, 23%, counted the lack of social life and holidays as the reason for stress. “There isn’t much to do in Kuwait to blow off some steam. It’s a small country so it is easy to run out of things to do.”
8% of voters felt that tackling family issues after a long day at work stressed them out. Only 8% believed they were living a stress free life. “Stress is supposed to incentivize us to perform and not to burn us out. I think I have learnt to not get stressed about things outside of my control.”