風鈴さんの おぼえた日記 - 2018年3月31日(土)

Don't waste time worrying over spring changes　　Saturday, March 31
望まぬ変化　心配せずに

March is a month of "change" in Japan. Graduations, company personnel shuffles, retirement, moves -- there must be many people whose environment up until now has changed, or will change in the near future.
●company personnel shuffles 人事異動
３月は「変化」の月だ。卒業、異動、退職や引っ越しなど、これまでとは環境が変わったり、この先、大きく変わることが分かったり、という人も多いのではないだろうか。

But not everyone is thrilled by these changes. Beginning this month, I've had patients come to my consultation room with worries like, "My contract as a temporary company employee ends in March, but I haven't found a new job yet," or "I've been assigned to move to the one department I've been avoiding in the company," with their shoulders slumped and their spirits down. At this time of year, the number of people reporting these new "negative changes" that they now must face as they come to me for advice about how to deal with the physical and mental stress increases.
●thrill わくわくさせる　●contract 契約　●temporary 臨時やとい、派遣
●assigned 命じられる　●avoid 避ける　●slump がっくり落とす、前かがみになる
その変化は、うれしいものばかりとは限らない。今月に入って、診察室には「派遣社員としての契約が３月で終了するのですが、次の就職先が決まっていない」という人、「いちばん避けたかった部署への異動が決まりました」という人など、肩をがっくり落としながら、これから自分を待ち受ける“イヤな変化”について報告し、それにともなう心身の不調を相談する人が増えている。

For these people, I have this to say:
その人たちに、私はこんな話をする。

Of course you probably aren't happy about these changes. However, it's actually the people who are awaiting "welcome change" from April who should be the most cautious. That's because those people get over excited and jump into the fray from the start and quickly wear themselves out, or get depressed or lose hope when the reality awaiting them is even a little different from their expectations. In your case, don't you think that you can definitely start things at your own pace?
●cautious　用心深く　
「たしかにうれしくはないかもしれませんね。でも、実は４月から“うれしい変化”が待っている人の方が要注意なんですよ。そういう人は張りきりすぎて最初から飛ばして息切れしたり、期待と現実とがちょっと違うだけでも失望して落ち込んだりするので。あなたの場合は、きっとマイペースでスタートを切れるのではないでしょうか」

These are not simply comforting words. Serious-minded Japanese people, in particular, often get caught up in working their hardest to succeed and get to the top. They then end up losing all of their energy, sometimes causing conditions known as "advancement depression," along with other effects. The mindset that you must work your very hardest at a new position or task amounts to increasing pressure on yourself.
●advancement depression　昇進うつ
これはただのなぐさめではない。とくにまじめな日本人には、昇進に伴って頑張りすぎてエネルギーが底をつく、「昇進うつ」などもときどき起きることが知られている。新しいところでしっかりやらなくては、と自分についついプレッシャーをかけてしまうのだ。

To be honest, medical school was not my first choice, and even when I graduated from university and became a doctor, I often thought, "But I'm not cut out for this..." Leaving Tokyo where I had spent my university days to do my residency in Hokkaido was also a huge blow to my spirits, and I vividly remember thinking on the verge of tears, "It's cold. I want to go back to Tokyo," at a welcome party held at an outdoor "Genghis Khan" grilled meat restaurant.
実は、私は医学部が第一志望ではなく、大学を卒業して医者になるときも「本当は向いてないのに」と気が重かった。大学時代をすごした東京を離れて北海道で研修医になるのも憂鬱で、戸外のジンギスカンガーデンで行われた歓迎会で「寒いな、東京に戻りたい」と泣きそうになったのをよく覚えている。

Still, it was precisely because it wasn't the happy change that I had imagined that solidified my will to do my absolute best. I relaxed my shoulders and thought "I just have to get the hang of things," and was able to make my first step as a working member of society. When I look back now, I see it as an extremely valuable experience. All around me, there were cases of people who worked too hard and destroyed their health simply because they had achieved their dream of becoming a doctor.
しかし、そのように決して喜ばしい変化ではなかったので、「絶対に頑張ろう」などと気負うこともなかった。「なんとかまわりについていければいいか」と肩の力を抜きながら、社会人としての一歩を踏み出すことができたのだ。いま考えれば、それはとてもよかったと思っている。まわりには逆に、「念願の医者になったのだから」と頑張りすぎて体調を崩した人もいた。

For those who know that an unwelcomed change will soon occur or feel anxious about the start of April, it's OK to worry a little this March. I hope you can feel lucky that you can meet the new year at a speed that matches your current comfort level. A peaceful April most certainly awaits you. (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
この３月、望まない変化が起きることが分かり、４月が来るのを不安に思っている人たちは、少しも心配しなくていい。いまと変わらずにマイペースで新年度を迎えられる自分はラッキー、と思ってほしい。きっとおだやかな４月があなたを待っている。（香山リカ　精神科医）





If I cut my hair, others did. If I shortened my dresses, so did everyone else.
私が髪を短くしたら、みんなそうしたわ。私がドレスを短くすると、だれもがまねをしたの。
※シジュカラは背中がメジロのようにウグイス色なんですが少しわかりにくい。