Friday, October 24, 2008

Stress!! You must be joking!!

So they had a stress management workshop for all the army wives in the cantonment the other day. A noted psychologist was invited to speak on the occasion. All the ladies of the station were invited except the separated families!! I felt these are the ones who needed the workshop first and the foremost!! These are the ones who spend long, lonely, anxious hours day and night. But no! this time again I missed the point!!
I have a friend whose husband is posted in Siachen. Few days back when we met she was having severe hypertension which resulted in endless sleepless nights. She was upset because due to security reasons her husband and his men were supposed to sleep in bunkers. Siachen has low oxygen levels plus staying in a bunker reduces them further as a result he was pretty unwell. It seems for all our serving officers and their better halves here in the station thought that she actually didn’t need a stress management class!!
There’s another lady who has not been able to talk to her husband for the past ten days due to difficult terrain. He is deployed at a far off mountainous post. She has two daughters one of whom is a severe case of asthma. The authorities very rightly felt that this mother didn't need a stress management class either!! Another separated army wife was forcibly made to vacate the accommodation only because of the reason that some serving officers in the station were still living in temporary accommodation. While she a meagre separated wife with two small kids was living in a permanent one!! How could she? Her husband was not serving in the station but at the country’s border, how can she claim to live in a huge comfortable house!! No not done. Plus whats the need to need a stress management class!

So let’s see who all need stress management class. Firstly, are the ones who play mah-jong in the mornings to tear away the previous night’s party’s strain. You know how stressful it is to sleep late and get up late! Second are the ones who need to show off the brand new dress, oh! It can become really stressful when you don’t have an occasion to show that latest addition in your wardrobe. Third are the ones whose hubby’s promotion is due and you just can’t apprehend how stressful it is if the boss’s wife doesn’t smile back!!

Yes! I think these ladies need a stress management class more then seperated ones. You see army is never wrong!!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is really a nice one!!

Anonymous said...

Another nice post.
For a armywife, it becomes very difficult to manage all the things alone here. All the time she is thinking about her husband whose posting in border area, her little children, her parents, her home and many more....
In between she does not get time for her, so the result comes in the form of stress.
Armywives really need Stress Management Workshops.

सचिन श्रीवास्तव said...

लंबी लंबी रातों में बेआवाज उतरती ठंड, हड्डियों को कंपा देने वाली ठंड, अस्थमा, दस दस दिनों तक आवाज का एक टुकडा भी कान में न पडना. कोई बूंद नहीं जिसमें पानी हो अपनों की गर्माहट का....
लोगों के दुख इतने बडे क्यों होते हैं कि उनके बारे में बात करना भी दुख को बढाने की तरह लगता है?

Anonymous said...

Stress mgt course was at least conducted and next time when it is done would be for SF ladies too. Most of them prefer not to come for such events.Thus may be a slip up like this.

Anonymous said...

Events should not be conducted just to tick off one more agenda point as completed. The larger perspective & purpose should be achieved.

Anonymous said...

They do it all the time. Nobody is conerned for that wounded soldier or that grieving wife. They are just running after their ACRs. Myself an army wife I seen it from close quarters.

Anonymous said...

Agree with Ambreen. Basic thing is how to reach out to a person who needs help/assistance. Welfare activity should evolve methods to reach out. This could be org by visits by voluteers to provide guidance/counselling and most effected would be seperated famlilies specially of those officers serving in valley,siachin. Org workshops is a method of putting across some thoughts/ideas.Lot can be done if right people provide org support to ladies who are willing to spare time and energy as volunteers.

May some bright people in authority take appropriate initiative eg Mrs Nanavati ensured group of ladies visited few houses and had general talk on health, sanitation, education of children, child care, diet for babies with soldiers wives. No adm arragements were done, Vehicle provided by organistion,ladies accompanied by a soldier with his wife who could be interpretor in case language.