We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.
Here is a scary new word and we get it from the Japanese: KAROSHI. It literally means “overwork death.” It
was added to the dictionary in 2002 because the number of people in Japan dying from it is com- parable to the number of traffic fatalities. It usu- ally happens with a stroke or heart attack, but it is not uncommon for someone to commit suicide as well. Overwork had gotten so bad that some companies have a prerecorded message at the end of the day telling their employees to GO HOME. We called it burnout, but scientists have concluded that it is really depression. And it is everywhere. The only places they haven’t really found it are monasteries and places where people see their work as a calling, not merely a job.
This is what burnout sounds like: “This isn’t getting me anywhere. I can’t handle this. It’s never going to get any better.” It is pessimism at its finest.
So what should we do?
Here are some ideas. Take them or leave them.
1.) Allow yourself to be playful. Scientists surveyed adult students on playfulness and looked at their transcripts. A playful attitude was associated with better grades. Playful students read more, were curious and motivated. Take recess away from kids? No way! More playing means more learning. Even daydreaming is a useful thing. We as humans need to step out of our hyper focused states and let our minds wan- der. People who let their minds wander have been shown to be better problem solvers. It is not only OK to play, but I highly recommend it.
2.) Sleep. I have been tracking my sleep with my Apple Watch. It has been fascinating. We really don’t get the sleep we need and we are paying dearly for it. Lack of sleep makes you dumber. Sleep affects decision making, ethics, health and how much time you waste on the In- ternet. Lack of sleep also makes you less attrac- tive. It can affect your emotions. Sleep depriva- tion makes you act like you are drunk. Why is it that companies that wouldn’t think twice about firing you for being drunk on the job don’t mind creating conditions that effectively make you drunk on the job? Need more proof? The record for staying awake is 11 days by a man by the name of Randy Gardner. During the event Randy went a tad haywire. He came to believe he was an African American football player, despite being a Caucasian teenager. The Guinness Book doesn’t acknowledge this category anymore.
Why? Because it messes with people so much.
3.) Exercise. Organisms with brains move. Be- hold the sea squirt! Born with a brain, the sea squirt moves about to find a spot to spend the rest of its life. When it does so, it basically eats its own brain and remains stationary. (I suspect- ed some of my students of becoming sea squirts.) If you have a brain, you need to move. Do I real- ly need to explain the benefits of exercise? It helps you lose weight, reduce stress, relieves anxiety, reduces risk of heart disease and certain cancers, gives you more energy, helps you sleep, boosts your mood, increases bone density, im- proves your quality of life, and improves your confidence. Convinced?
4.) Prayer. Of late, in our culture, which so often disparages faith and religion, there is a rediscov- ery of what people call mindfulness. Uh, hello, Catholics have had it for millennia, it is simply called prayer. I like how this is just built into my schedule. It can be refreshing just to take a deep breath at Mass, or to sing with a great choir or sit quietly before the Blessed Sacrament or gaze at a statue or icon. I am restored after every Mass as I come down the aisle to give children “knuckles” and greet people in walkers as they leave after a service. If you are stressed, what can be better than prayer, putting our issues, our demons, our worries before a loving God? St. Teresa Benedic- ta once wrote so beautifully: “And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him.”
Stay tuned! More suggestions next week
Father Kevin