The Oxford dictionary defines empathy as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s basically putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, and it’s a game-changer: It reminds us that other people are humans, too, and not just a faceless student, employee, or statistic.
Working from home is weird. Home is no longer refuge, plus many higher ups seem to believe that working from home means more free time, so e-mails after work hours become normalized and more Zoom meetings are held on a daily basis. For students, the scenario is similar: extended hours, makeup classes, and more assessments. To add, there are no workmates or schoolmates to recharge with during breaks.
Then we open social media and see our friends showing off the sheer volume of paperwork, readings, or meetings they endure, and we tend to react with a mix of well-wishing for them and relief for ourselves since we don’t have to go through all that. But relating to these scenarios just shows one important thing: we all agree that stress isn’t fun. So why is it being romanticized?
There’s a joke saying you can determine that a law student is a freshman if their social media frequently shows off the piles of readings they have to finish for just one class. I used to do that, too, as did many of my batchmates. Maybe it also applies to other fields and new employees. Maybe it’s an unspoken rite of passage in high-stress environments, who knows?
But it gets to the dangerous point where we talk about caffeine addictions and sleep deprivation as if these were trophies, and this influences others into thinking that this is how it should be. We hear, “man, I only got four hours of sleep last night,” in a tone of exhaustion and a strange hint of pride from people fuelled by iced coffee and no breakfast, as if all is perfectly normal. So, stressful and heavy workloads become something to attain because when we suffer and are eternally busy, we are on the same level as the productive and successful. But is it not a truer sign of success to have time to rest and enjoy the fruits of what we’ve worked for?
Busyness and productivity are not the same thing. A reasonable level of work may be beneficial to some: there’s a sense of accomplishment after fulfilling responsibilities, and procrastinators sometimes need some pressure to finally begin working. But too much can seriously damage our health physically and mentally, worsening work performance along the way. This is backed up by science and known to all. So, for the sake of our health and careers, maybe we should start glamorizing rest instead of stress and heavy workloads. Rest once in a while. According to Matthew Walker, a 20-minute nap is enough to boost one’s mood and energy, so sneak them in when needed. We are humans before we are our occupations.
Of course, not everyone has the privilege of extra time. Many of us work multiple jobs, are working students, or have family troubles and responsibilities. Some have physical or mental health issues or illnesses that can make rest difficult. We all know this, so why aren’t we more empathetic?
We’re still in a pandemic. Again, we are still in a pandemic. Sure, we’ve experienced the pandemic for a year, but prior to 2020, we never experienced it in the many decades we have lived. It may feel normal now, but pandemics are not normal in the grand scheme of things. This pandemic has killed and affected people we know, so what is normal is wanting to rest once in a while. People are dying, it’s still dangerous to leave the house, and the virus is mutating, with the vaccine still inaccessible to most. The situation is still getting worse especially in our country; the numbers prove this. So, shouldn’t we be trying to create a less stressful environment, all things considered?
Many employers and professors admit feeling more exhausted due to the pandemic. Many workers and students share the same sentiments. It’s interesting how, despite this, not much has changed. Ironically, more work is being given, since somehow we all are supposed to have adapted perfectly to this pandemic already.
Yes, the economy has to keep going, students have to keep studying to retain information, and at some point we have to resume our lives. But surely, we can achieve these with reasonable empathy. We can patiently simplify concepts and systems and allow more time for others to rest and recharge, then we give our best when it’s our time to work. We’re all tired of the pandemic and conversations about it, but ignoring the pandemic-induced changes and insisting on old ways for the current days is counterproductive. What’s the point of complete output when no one enjoys it anymore? Once in a while, rest and let others rest. At the end of the day, we are all better off happy and well rested anyway. We are all humans stuck in this pandemic, so a little empathy from each one of us will go a long way.
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