Anxious at work? Here’s how you can manage that anxiety

While you’re trying to do your best at work, don’t ignore your mental health and tame that anxiety

You’re at work, playing a certain role, attempting to achieve targets, doing your best to contribute to the organization and its growth while also trying to derive the maximum for yourself as an individual professional. Nonetheless certain factors at work can make you anxious.

A system where clear communication is not maintained, expectations are not clearly stated, processes are not followed in an organized format, or challenging situations keep continuously emerging is usually stress-inducing. It can trigger anxiety in its employees, regardless of the roles they have or the compensation they receive.

If you don’t have a clearly defined role or targets, leaving space for ambiguity in what is expected of you, you may feel rudderless and unsure which can leave you feeling anxious. Not having the skills to fulfil your responsibilities is another reason why people often feel anxious at work.

Simultaneously, if you feel like you cannot communicate with your peers, juniors or the leadership team it can contribute to your lack of satisfaction at work. Having interpersonal relationships is a critical aspect contributing to workplace well-being and its lack thereof can certainly contribute to the anxiety.

Here are some things that you can do to take care of this anxiety:

Build connections and relationships
Work to connect to those around you by getting to know them, where they come from and how they operate. Ask simple questions and be mindful of their presence on a daily basis. Remember to connect and reach out to them when there is a problem.

Also be careful to ensure you do not enter into situations where you talk about someone behind their back. Have a one-on-one conversation instead. And try to have fun moments at the office and if possible then intermittently outside the workplace too.

Seek clarity
Don’t hesitate to ask questions or seek additional information when you are unsure about things. Be it your role, the expectations that the organization has of you, or the responsibilities you hold towards your colleagues—all of these are important and you must be clear on what your contribution must be. Don’t assume it to be a reflection of your incompetence or lack of knowledge.

Set realistic deadlines for yourself
Often people place immense pressure on themselves by keeping rather strict deadlines that tend to border on the unrealistic. As a one-off, work can demand that something be done rather urgently. However, this cannot and should not be a matter of routine.

Creating and following a balanced approach is critical to well-being and the management of anxiety. This also translates into ensuring that you go out, do the things you like to do, spend time on your hobbies, and focus on your health and lifestyle.

Note: If you do continue to experience significant anxiety which is becoming difficult to manage, impacting your relationships or your work, taking away from your health and well-being, disturbing your sleep or appetite, then don’t hesitate to reach out to an expert to find more solutions for managing it.

Source: Hindustan Times, 7/08/2019

Don’t Forget to Forgive

Forgiveness is one of the 10 cardinal principles of dharma that uphold the cosmic and the social order. It is the cultivation of prema, love; karuna, compassion; ahimsa, non-violence; and kshanti, forbearance; for inner purity and spiritual resilience. The Yoga-Yajnavalkya-Gita (1.64) defines it as samatva, a state of psychological stability and composure. Forgiveness stems from right understanding. It is letting go of resentment and revengeful thoughts by choosing a path that requires firmness of spirit to endure suffering. Far from being a sign of weakness, it shows maturity and grace. When one harbours grudges, it makes the mind toxic. Scientific studies show that holding on to anger upsets the rhythm of the heart and leads to an increased level of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Those who have a forgiving disposition, enjoy better mental and physical health compared to others who simmer with bitterness. Seeking god’s forgiveness, and repentance for sinful acts, form the core values in Semitic religions. Buddhism and Jainism regard forgiveness as a step towards moksha, salvation. The Jaina community observes Forgiveness Day (samvatsari/kshamavani) annually, to improve individual and social relations. Forgiving is not forgetting, but accepting everything in its stride, and moving ahead. To stay calm when provoked by opponents is the real test of one’s moral strength. Forgiveness is not selftorture or a justification of the uncouth behaviour and actions of others, but of not being swayed by negative emotions.


source: Economic Times, 9/08/2019

Just 37% of patients at AIIMS are women

 Gender Bias Less Steep Among Middle-Aged

In a first-of-its-kind study, AIIMS has confirmed what has been known for ages — women face discrimination in access to healthcare. Out of the 23.8 lakh patients who visited the institute in 2016, only 37% were women, reveals the study published recently in British Medical Journal. The study didn’t include patients visiting the obstetrics and gynaecology departments dealing only with women’s issues. Dr Ambuj Roy, the lead author of the study, told TOI that younger and older women were the most neglected and discriminated against. In the middle-age group — 31-44 and 45-59 years — the gender bias was less at 1.5 male patients per female patient and 1.4 male patients per female patient, respectively, said Dr Roy. In the young group — 0-18 and 19-30 years, the bias rose to 1.9 and 2.02, respectively, he added. As per the study, 1.7 male patients per female patient visited AIIMS in the age group of 60 years and above. More than 90% of the patients at AIIMS travel from four states — Delhi, where the hospital is located; Haryana, an adjoining state; Uttar Pradesh, a state slightly away; and Bihar, the farthest from Delhi. The hospital data also shows that increase in distance from the hospital was inversely proportional to the number of women visiting the hospital as compared to men. In 2016, 84,926 women from Bihar visited AIIMS compared to over two lakh men. Compared to this, in Delhi, the gender bias was less with 4.8 lakh female visitors compared to 6.6 lakh males. According to Dr Roy, a professor of cardiology at AIIMS, the findings suggest that local healthcare infrastructure needs to be strengthened to benefit the younger and older women. AIIMS also studied the gender bias among various departments. The doctors found that more men visited the hospital for heart ailment — 1.9 male patients per female patient. This was followed by a skewed sex ratio among patients visiting ENT (1.9 male patients per female patient), emergency medicine (1.8), paediatrics (1.8), eye (1.8), surgery (1.4), skin (1.4), orthopaedics (1.3) and medicine (1.3). Sensitisation on giving women equal priority as well as opportunity to seek treatment is important to end the bias, said doctors. In 2011, another study conducted by AIIMS doctors had shown a similar gender bias among children with congenital heart disease. It revealed that the likelihood of a male child undergoing corrective surgery was 3.5 times higher than that of a female child. Concluding its report, the current study stated, “There is extensive gender discrimination in healthcare access, with the situation worsening for younger and older female patients and those at increasing distances from the referral hospital. This calls for systemic societal and governmental action to correct this gender discrimination.

Source: Times of India, 9/08/2019

Varsities should send teachers on sabbatical leave for pursuing research: UGC panel

Universities and colleges should develop action plans to send mid-career teachers on sabbatical leave for pursuing research and writing, a panel set up by the UGC has recommended.

Universities and colleges should develop action plans to send mid-career teachers on sabbatical leave for pursuing research and writing, a panel set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended.

The four-member committee on “Promoting and improving quality of research in Indian universities and colleges” headed by professor P Balaram, former director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, recently submitted its report to the commission.

“The UGC should encourage and support state universities and affiliated colleges to put in place a rigorous but generous program that would offer sabbatical leave to mid-career teachers for pursuing research and writing books and monographs which consolidated accumulated original research knowledge,” the panel said in its report.

The report said mid-career national level sabbatical awards on a competitive basis for a year may be introduced enabling 50-100 faculty-members to pursue research which may also provide an opportunity for faculty to build collaborative contacts with major national and international institutions.

“Such opportunities must be mandated in both public and private institutions,” the report said.

Developing classroom pedagogy, curricula and system of assessment, promoting academic integrity, remedial teaching, encouraging vernacular languages, use of technology and media platforms and policy internships, are among the other recommendations made by the committee.

Source: Hindustan Times, 8/08/2019

IIT- Guwahati develops low-cost hand-held device to detect bacteria

The hand-held device, with bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis, Parameswar K Iyer, one of the lead researchers, said.

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) has developed a portable device to detect bacteria without cell culture or microbiological assays.

The hand-held device, with bio-compatible sensor, can also diagnose time-critical illnesses such as meningitis, Parameswar K Iyer, one of the lead researchers, said.

“The research has enabled rapid detection of bacteria, which is not just important in healthcare, but also in anti- bioterrorism measures and environmental monitoring,” he said.

Bacterial infection is a common cause of morbidity and mortality across the world, Siddhartha S Ghosh, another team member, maintained.

“Despite development of a range of antibiotics, the challenge continues to lie in diagnosing bacterial infection early on with the present techniques being extremely time- consuming,” Ghosh explained.

Currently, cells derived from a patient are cultured or grown in laboratories to detect and microanalyse bacteria in body fluids.

The new portable device, however, can instantly detect the charges on the cell walls of bacteria, Iyer said.

“These rapid detection kits are like those used for blood sugar monitoring and pregnancy detection. The sensor can detect the charges on the cell walls of bacteria,” he said, adding that the team work has been recently patented as well as published in the July 2019 issue of ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry of the Royal Society of Chemistry’.

Source: Hindustan Times, 7/08/2019

Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice

Volume 18 Issue 1, June 2019

Marxian Economics: Notes from a Neo-classical Viewpoint Anjan Mukherji First Published February 13, 2019; pp. 1–16 Abstract Preview |

Articles

On a Theorem due to Alan D. Taylor about Aggregation of Preferences Somdeb Lahiri First Published September 5, 2018; pp. 17–31 Abstract Preview |

Can Foreign Aid Dampen the Threat of Terrorism to International Trade? Evidence from 78 Developing Countries Simplice Asongu, Ivo J. Leke First Published October 29, 2018; pp. 32–55 Abstract Preview |

Aid for Trade and Recipient Countries’ Export Structure: Does Trade Policy Liberalisation Matter? Sèna Kimm Gnangnon First Published October 29, 2018; pp. 56–85 Abstract Preview |

Emerging Challenges of Rural Labour Market: Insights from Indian Villages Namrata Singha Roy, Ishita Mukhopadhyay First Published September 13, 2018; pp. 86–103 Abstract Preview |

Review Article

You Did Not Do What You Could Ranabir Samaddar First Published December 30, 2018; pp. 104–110 Abstract |

Place of Power

We have within us a place of power that contains the forces of life. Many people live their lives unaware of their great potential. Let us discover how that untapped power can change our lives, filling us with gifts far beyond our wildest imagination. Most people live their lives thinking that they are the physical body and the mind. If we analyse, most of our time is spent feeding, clothing and providing shelter to the body. When we have a family, we devote time to caring for the physical needs of our children. The next aspect of life in which most of us spend time is taking care of the needs of our mind. We develop our intelligence and our skills through many years of schooling and training. We stimulate our mind by reading, listening to the radio and television, going to movies, having discussions with friends, and in continued learning. There is a third aspect to the structure of a human being that is too often neglected, yet it contains the seeds of a power that can nourish our body and mind, and take us beyond these into infinite resources awaiting us. The third aspect is our soul. We acknowledge the existence of a soul, but few actually tap into it and identify with it. By concentrating on the spiritual eye, the gateway into the inner regions, we connect with the stream of Light and Sound, the primal manifestations of God. When the sensory currents are concentrated at the spiritual eye, we see Light and hear inner Sound, and our souls embarks on the inner spiritual journey

Source: Economic Times, 8/08/2019