Surviving stress

Stress is a huge psycho-social problem for many people living in developed countries like Sweden. The more I grapple with the particularities of the word in practical terms, the more I feel the weight of the word in actual life.

I didn't know the meaning of stress when I was living in the Philippines but when I look back at the life and death instances I have been in, stress as I understand now was a "walk in the park" in those days.

How do I deal with the periodic presence of stress that comes like an uninvited dinner guest? In my present workplace, I find it unavoidable to ignore stress - mostly physical stress owed to dealing with people who are sick and dying. Imagine how infectious the feeling is to be with old, sick, helpless and lonely people where no amount of music and cheering up can activate the heart; where the physical being has already given up on life and the only thing that remains is the hope of a final freedom from all pain and sufferings. This picture seen daily is excruciatingly stressful.

I go home at the end of the day feeling worn-out, my life exiting out of my body in a strange metamorphosis that is shapeless like a running river. I come home seeking a re-birth of my soul gone old and weary. How do I go through a transformation - like leaving dead skin by the doorstep and obtaining a fresh one in matters of minutes?

I find that the most effective antidote to stress is not any form of energy tablet or drink. It is something as abstract as love and affection, a sense of satisfaction that a good job was done, and most importantly that the people close to one's heart are happy in their own ways.

I came to an article today on how human touch works miracles against stress and against all forms of oppression one meets especially in the workplace. When I come home, I want to be showered with affection - to be caressed from head to foot, to feel the other person's warmth and longing. And then, that feeling of tiredness, of stress simply vanishes. Many go for luxury massage and spa treatment to get rid of that edgy, aging feeling. But, the simplest cure comes from the person who cares about you. Imagine how much it means even just to hold hands while you watch a not-so-sexy movie?

No, this is not being corny. In an egalitarian society like Sweden, the biggest social problem is loneliness. Too many people are living alone. There is no medicine for loneliness other than the company of another human being. Like the title of a recent French movie I saw, "Tillsammans är vi mindre ensam" ("Together, we are less alone."#