How to find a job that brings you pleasure? How to do work with pleasure and without stopping.

Have you ever wished that your vacation would never end? How often do you have to literally drag yourself to work? Or maybe work has taken over all other areas of your life, and you don’t have time to notice how tired you really are? “It’s all stress,” the thought flashes through my head. Let's take a closer look at what overwork and stress are, how to notice signs of fatigue in time and when it's time to take preventative measures against work wear and tear.

What is stress? Three stages of stress

Stress is a nonspecific reaction of the body to any impact. The non-specificity of the reaction means that, regardless of the qualities and properties of the stress factors, the reaction will develop according to the same scenario. Moreover, for the body it does not matter whether this effect is positive or negative for us: great joy or deep sadness - all this is stress, because these conditions take the body out of homeostasis, that is, out of balance.

In fact, this is the process of rapid adaptation of the body to new conditions. This concept was developed by the famous Canadian physician Hans Selye in the first half of the 20th century, and he also described the three stages of stress.

• The first is the alarm stage, which reports that an impact has occurred and the body reacts to it. That is, he mobilizes all his strength to cope with what is happening. It is at the alarm stage that a person is able to perform a large amount of work and carry out a responsible event.
• The second is the stage of resistance, when the body resists, that is, gives a response to what happened.
• The third stage is exhaustion. This is where we start talking about overwork. At this stage, the body mobilized all its forces, threw them into resistance and adaptation, but it failed to adapt or the stress factor did not disappear. Our resources are limited, so if we constantly spend them, they become depleted.

When a person is deaf to his own needs, the body “responds” harshly and on all fronts: both physiologically (appetite disturbance, sleep disturbance) and mentally - psychosomatic diseases (i.e. bodily diseases, the cause of which is strong and prolonged mental stress), various neurotic manifestations. Thus, our body tries to stop our self-destruction by pressing the stop valve, making us sick. Illness is the last cry of the body; it forces you to return to yourself and your true desires, which we do not recognize during the rush of work.

About stress factors

Stress occurs whenever the body is thrown out of its usual balance, and the conditions for creating this same balance are unique for each person.

Therefore, it is impossible to talk about specific stressors for all people. So, for example, the open space office format can be a source of strong stress for a person of an introverted character, but the same open space can be a place for an extrovert where he feels pleasantly united with others.

But moving to a new job is always a stressful event for a person, because... he has to adapt to a whole range of changes: from the new arrangement of office furniture to the establishment of new communication links with the team.

What is overwork?

It’s not for nothing that the word “overwork” contains the prefix “-over”: it means that resources have not just run out, but that you have exceeded their possible limit. The danger lies not only in the transition itself, but in the fact that it seems that a person systematically misses the moment when he needs to rest. The body signals that it is time to rest, even at the stage of resistance, and the person deliberately ignores this signal and thereby makes a choice that is not in favor of himself. It is the fact that he does not listen to his own needs that is worse than the consequence itself.

The fact is that overwork, in principle, can be treated, but a person’s constant lack of contact with his own needs is very alarming.

In such a situation, it is important not just to take a time out, but to reconsider your life concept as a whole: “How do I create conditions and life circumstances in which I do not pay attention to the signals of my own body?” Answers may be different, for example: “I choose to work hard to achieve success, recognition, career growth, that is, I want to be socially successful, fulfilled, and therefore I pay for it with chronic fatigue.” But the fact is that this behavior is very similar to narcissistic neurosis. That is, a person does not define himself as a simple person worthy of living, existing and simply being in this world, but defines himself only through success and achievements. That is, if I am successful, I am socially approved, I am accepted in this society, I have a high status, then I am a good person, this is how I define and accept myself. That is why this is a kind of message for others: “I am tired, I am tired, because I do not feel sorry for myself so that you recognize me.”

Alfried Längle, an existential psychotherapist, says that often a person, behind ambitions and the satisfaction of neurosis in recognition, forgets to ask value-oriented, semantic questions: about life, about what he likes and whether he likes exactly what he is currently doing; whether he wants to be in this place and what he is ready to change in life. Essentially, this is hard internal work that people are often not ready to do. It’s easier to throw all your strength into familiar work than to stop and think about what I’m actually doing in this life.

A person cannot always figure out on his own what his difficulty is. Sometimes a person can diligently follow the prescribed recommendations, follow a daily routine, lead a healthy lifestyle, and even clearly organize his work schedule, but still feel overwhelmed and tired. In these cases, the help of a specialized specialist is necessary. And first of all, it would be good to consult a doctor to check whether there are any hormonal imbalances or other organic prerequisites for this condition. After visiting a doctor and examination, if no illness is detected, you should go to a psychotherapist. Because the problem may be deeper than a person can realize.

About psychotherapeutic work with overwork and stress

It would seem that the symptoms of overwork are the same for every overworked person. But the strategies for psychotherapeutic work with each client require an individual approach, because everyone has their own history of chronic stress.

So, for example, in the case when a person defines himself as “good” only through achievements at work, then it is important to figure out who really needs recognition - is it the person himself? It often happens that all this is connected with mothers or fathers who were underestimated or unloved in childhood, and the person tries to show through his career that he is worthy of love.

Also, in my practice, I have encountered family scenarios in which children from an early age saw that money is hard and parents work a lot. Accordingly, a person brings this value to his activities: it is impossible to stop and take a time out, because from early childhood he is told that those who work hard eat well. And work then becomes like hard labor; it is impossible for a person to imagine that there are people who work relaxed and with pleasure. In this case, the psychotherapist and the client “step” into the family scenario and change it. So, it may turn out that the parents lived in the post-war period and worked hard at the factory and did not know how to live differently. Then it is important for the client to realize that he can choose a different fate for himself, because now, fortunately, he does not need to survive, he can work for himself and with pleasure.

When you know from childhood that work is an opportunity to survive...

Often, overwork can also indicate that a person, in fact, has no interest, energy and drive in the work that he does every working day.

That is, the person seems to be “serving his duty” at his workplace, living from Friday to Sunday, and on weekdays there is melancholy. Of course, it’s hard for the body to experience weekly boredom! If work is a pleasure, a person can normally regulate its process and be filled with strength from the inspiration received from what he loves.

Then all the psychologist’s work with such a client will be aimed at finding lost interest and drive: what does a person really want to do, what would he regret spending the time of his unique life on?

All the examples described reflect how deep the true causes of overwork can be. A person is not able to analyze and find these reasons on his own, since defense mechanisms do their job. Why does a person hide the truth from himself? Because, having learned the truth about his eternal fatigue, he will have to make a decision - to change something in his life or somehow live with this “inconvenient” knowledge in the old way. And this is often a very difficult moment.

Why is it difficult for us to stop on time?

I see a tendency towards unhealthy workaholism not only in psychotherapeutic practice. I notice this trend among my friends, and I myself unwittingly get involved in this race of “who works the most.” It’s as if it becomes an honor to overwork and forget about weekends and holidays: you don’t spare yourself, you also work at home in the evenings, which means you are truly purposeful, which means you are a strong and strong-willed person. Nowadays it’s as if you can’t be (for others) a person if you’re not obsessed with the idea of ​​achieving some high standard. It seems to me that this phenomenon is a consequence of the current course of the mass media. Commercials from many companies motivate us to greater achievements. This idea covers not only manufacturers of various goods (here you can recall the slogans of various brands of sportswear and shoes, manufacturers of carbonated drinks, etc.).

We are led to believe that each of us can do something great. We are assured that our capabilities are limitless, which is actually not true: a person is initially limited by his own resources, which have a limit.

This is also promoted in modern Hollywood films about the American Dream. We are shown the possibilities of a beautiful life with a high level of income - and we really want to believe in these pictures of a prosperous life. It seems to me that a person’s exclusive belief in his own omnipotence gives rise to this race - to work hard to the point of exhaustion.

How to prevent overwork?

Rest is a change from a person’s main activity to a fundamentally opposite one. It is very important not to forget that we still have a body that begins to suffer when we “use” only our head.

When a person does not pay attention to his bodily sensations or mistakenly interprets the signals of his own body, he loses the connection between his thoughts and bodily experiences: his head is loaded with some things, and his body can already “scream” about tension. This means that a person is not in contact with himself. That is why it is important for those working in an office to engage in physical activity in order to regain their integrity.

Contact not only with your own feelings, but also with reality will also help you cope with overwork. After all, behind work worries and anxieties, a person is not able to notice the world around him. And these are not just pretentious words. I have a friend who works from home. Having earned a lot of money, he does not notice how the household members leave the apartment and when they return. He was also surprised when he saw changes in the interior of his apartment that happened a month ago and passed him by. That is, all its resources were mobilized exclusively to perform work tasks, the body does not receive new stressful stimuli, except for the usual ones, and gets tired.

If a person is constantly in the worries of the past and worries about the future, he loses contact with reality. Example: I’m sitting in a cafe and thinking about what ideas I want to reflect in this text, but at the same time I don’t notice that I’m drinking delicious coffee, it’s spring outside, and there’s a beautiful flower on the windowsill. In such a situation, you need to regain your support in reality, in the life that exists here and now.

There is even a seemingly simple exercise for this: force yourself to notice the elements that are present in the room. It seems that this is nonsense, but when you are in a state of severe stress or overwork, it is difficult to do it, since the brain narrows consciousness to the point of anxiety. It is important to pull yourself out and notice what is visible around you, what is heard, and notice your body. Over time, this exercise helps a person become more balanced, he begins to experience himself differently, and stops being completely immersed in the problem.

Stress and illness

Diseases that occur due to overwork can be classified as psychosomatic. These are diseases whose genesis is prolonged mental stress, which we have not noticed for a long time and which does not find a way out, that is, it remains in the soma - in the body. If the head does not find a way to discharge, our body does it for us.

Illness is the last cry of the body; it forces you to return to yourself and your true desires, which we do not recognize during the rush of work.

Allergic reactions, eczema - these are all also psychosomatic. They are associated not only with work, but also with a disruption in relationships with the world. A person has boundaries with the world. Let's say our obvious boundary is the skin. “I” already begins under the skin, above it is the rest of the world and how it contacts me. If they do something to us or tell us something that violates this boundary, a healthy body should react with resistance and show: “You don’t have to do that to me.” But what does a person who is inclined to go psychosomatic do? He feels tension that he cannot defend his boundary, his body chooses a way to do something with the skin, as if saying: “Look how scary I am, don’t come near me.” This is a message, a shell: “I’m itching, I have a flaw, so you won’t touch me.” Thus, he achieves his goal, this factor ceases to influence him, but at what cost?

But before suspecting a psychosomatic disease in a person, it is important to double-check whether the disease has existed since early childhood and is genetic in nature, whether it is associated with the development of the child or whether it began during a stressful period. A good specialist first says: “Bring me a certificate from a neurologist/neurologist stating that there are no organic causes.” After this, the psychologist begins work, realizing that he is dealing with a psychological phenomenon. When a specialist understands that the reason is psychological, he explores together with the client what he cannot find a way out of and why the body reacts in this particular way. For example, if we are tormented by some thoughts for a long time, and they do not find a way out in actions, our head literally starts to hurt. With a migraine, you don’t think much anymore; a kind of energy dump occurs, but for the person himself, his body, such a stop tap is not very healthy.

Therefore, be attentive to yourself and your body. It is very important not to tire of seeking agreement with the external world that surrounds you and with the internal world order, to find a healthy balance between them.

Question for a psychologist:

I have big problems with self-discipline, I don’t understand why, even when I’ve already decided on my dream job, paid for the course, earned money for a laptop, started studying - every time I sit down to work, I’m faced with problems, feelings of guilt and helplessness. Obstacles arise, stupor, tears, I do everything slowly, even a noticeable pain in the back and neck appears, as if I was a child and doing my homework, or sitting at the piano and being forced to, but I resist in every possible way. I really want to learn to enjoy my work, to do everything with enthusiasm, to try, to have professionals in this field in my social circle, but it’s hard for me, because I’m afraid that they won’t accept me and that I’m not capable of doing half as well Like them, I'm afraid to delve into something and quit again. I don’t have the feeling that at least one day in my life I will be able to do something at a high level, better than many, to become a professional, and not just an ordinary worker, a craftsman, and this oppresses me, it’s as if I know my ceiling and I can’t even begin I would like to, if one day I have to face him. Why is there a feeling of resistance, why don’t I believe in my strength? Where is the root of this fear? I am sure that the problems that prevent me from starting work arise only because of this fear, the matter “does not work out” only because of internal uncertainty, I do not believe that I will be able to live this happy life and do the work I love, because it’s not like that It happens that everything is easy, playful. Everything is always “through the thorns” through the “stump-deck”, until you suffer, it won’t work out, you will definitely have to go through the torture of studying, failures “the first pancake is lumpy” and poverty, before something starts to work out, I’m afraid that I have the strength for this there is not enough risk, and there are not enough resources.

Don't give me advice: just sit down and do it. Tell me how to overcome fear of this nature? How to trick the brain? How to work through these emotions and at what point in this vicious circle to jump off the train: enthusiasm - emotional uplift - everything works out - self-belief - study - difficulties - fear - procrastination - difficulties - new third-party problems - despair - guilt due to missed opportunities - attempts to continue through strength, no matter what - failure - difficulties - giving up - feeling of helplessness and self-blame.

Psychologist Elena Nikolaevna Gladkova answers the question.

Hello, Asya!

I hope you understand that the main indicator for achieving results in the business you are engaged in is desire: the desire to do this particular thing, a desire supported by the confidence that it will give you pleasure and bring well-deserved results from its implementation.

But sometimes it happens that a person cannot decide on HIS desires, especially having the experience of satisfying “other people’s desires,” which most of us encountered in childhood - when parents decided what and how their child should do, where to go, with whom to be friends and etc. If something similar happened in your childhood, and this can be assumed from your memories of preparing lessons and practicing music, then perhaps it has become a problem for you to recognize your desires and try to satisfy them.

If your desires and desires were not particularly taken into account in childhood, if you were offered “ready-made recipes” for any occasion and “for the future,” then you could simply forget how to do something without the “approval” of those who previously gave you these recipes. Will it be your family and friends, peers around you whom you would like to be like, or someone else so significant that his opinion at one time forced you to do your homework or “because I don’t want” to study music, but these figures in Your life could have contributed to the formation of your self-doubt and caused your dependence on the desire to be the best in any business that you will undertake in the future. Now the fear of not being recognized in the business you are taking on, fear and self-doubt can become a block in the implementation of your plan, which will manifest itself in the fear of not being able to cope with the task. This fear can manifest itself especially clearly when the business that you have chosen on your own, having taken many steps for this, as you write, and having made some efforts, does not have support or is devalued by your family.

Another important point that can cause your reaction to things that you take on with enthusiasm, especially at the beginning, is your focus on the best result. There seems to be nothing wrong with this, because it’s normal to expect a positive result when you take on a task. But the whole point is that the result for you, it seems, should be not just positive, but the best! The meaning “usually” or “good” is not acceptable for you. For some reason, it’s better than anyone else! Such extreme perfectionism, instead of a driving force, becomes a brake, because if the result is ordinary, or not the best, then it’s not worth trying! This is the flip side of perfectionism - instead of motivation for work, it becomes a demotivator and an excuse for the psyche, an excuse for failed work in general.

These are just a few possible reasons for your reaction to work in general and the opportunity to enjoy it.

To discover exactly your personal reasons that shaped your reaction, I strongly recommend that you contact a psychologist at your place of residence or another specialist in this field. With it, you will be able to establish these very reasons, change your attitude towards them and, as a result, develop new reactions and form new resources in order to enjoy your favorite things, which will become clear to you with an understanding of your personal desires and needs driving forces and incentives to achieve them.

Don't be afraid to learn something new about yourself, especially if it will allow you to change the quality of your life!

But you can be happy at work!

We spend most of our time at work, so working for pleasure is what we all strive for and want to achieve.

It’s not difficult to work for pleasure, to be positive, to feel a surge of strength and emotions.

In this case, you need to put in no more effort than going to work in a bad mood.

Rather, being happy at work is a choice!

There is only one life, and therefore it is worth making sure that every day at work is like a memorable holiday.

There are a few little tricks that can make your workday not only enjoyable, but also productive.

In order for you to have fun at work, you need to follow a few of our tips.

8 tips for making work fun and enjoyable

1. Rise on a positive note

It’s worth waking up with a positive introduction. Because a day at work will not be a holiday if everything is ruined from the very beginning. To do this, you need to have a whole repository of positive thoughts in your head.

2. An encouraging start to the day

You can start the day with a cup of your favorite tea and, say, 15 minutes of listening to an encouraging tune, or reading a really worthwhile book.

3.The right attitude and motivation

Beforehand, in the evening, connect the work and your goals. Just think and give yourself an account: for what reason does your alarm clock burst into your consciousness every morning and pull you into reality? After all, there is a reason that will be much deeper than the simple - “This is how it should be!”

For example, you can motivate yourself - with career growth, self-development and experience, good money, which can then be spent on travel, etc. Regardless of your motivations, today is the time to get closer to your goals.

4. A smile can work wonders

And, of course, get ready to smile. Even if you're not in the mood.

Scientists have repeatedly proven that even if the smile is strained, the overall stress level in the body is significantly reduced.

In the event that someone is interested in how you are doing, then you don’t need to program your brain in advance for failure by answering “Okay”, “Not very”, etc. You are doing well! And it will always be like this! Just smile and move towards happiness.

5.Prioritization

When a person comes to work, very often at the beginning of the working day the mood deteriorates only because there are so many unresolved tasks.

In order to effectively cope with the entire volume of work, you just need to identify important and secondary tasks for yourself, and then start working according to all the rules of time management.

6. Pleasant social circle

You should completely refuse the company of negative people. After all, even the ancients were convinced that our society greatly influences us.

Even if you can’t protect yourself from unpleasant people, you need to ensure that your communication is limited to discussing purely business issues.

That is, when you complimented an accountant, and she responded with grumbling, try to quickly move on to discussing pressing issues, but if the secretary has a sour expression on her face in response to your greeting, try to correctly begin immediately to resolve the issues.

7. Timely switching to your favorite things

After the end of the working day, you need to fill the temporary space with what you like, with what you really love. At the same time, completely disconnected from all work-related problems.

There is no need to write recommendations here. Everyone knows what they really like. The most important thing is that “the work stays at work.” After all, if you don’t switch from the “work mode” in time, you are guaranteed to get a “hangover” from overwork.

8. Give thanks for every day you live

At the end of the day, it’s worth staying alone with yourself to think about whether there were moments in this working day, the day of your life, for which you would like to thank fate. It’s worth falling asleep in this mood.

And if something really sad happens during the day, then daily implementation of all the lessons described above will help in solving problems.

In order to live a positive life, you do not need to invest a lot of money, make enormous efforts and sacrifice a lot.

With the help of these techniques, you can get great pleasure from work and life in general.

Working for pleasure is what we want and what many of us lack. Follow our advice and everything will be fine.

Current page: 1 (book has 15 pages total) [available reading passage: 10 pages]

Sofia Makeeva
Downshifting, or how to work for pleasure, not depend on traffic jams and do what you want

Introduction

This book is fantastic. It’s about how to come up with a new, wonderful life for yourself, start living it and become happier. How to spend time on what you like and get paid for it? How to set up an office on the beach? How to organize a sabbatical without sacrifice? How can you live better and work less for less money? How can you not work at all and live happily ever after?

The heroes of this book - former office workers, marketers, directors, PR people and many others - one day quit their boring jobs and found themselves... no, not in a landfill surrounded by homeless people, but in Goa, Thailand, Bali and even Moscow, happy and prosperous . Fantasy you say? That's what I mean!

This book can be read in different ways. For example, study only the stories of the heroes - and you will get at your disposal a very thick magazine with essays and interviews, although without news. Or study tips and practical recommendations, and then carefully complete the training tasks to optimize your life.

Another option: absorb all this food for the mind and soul entirely. That's exactly what I would do. I like stories that inspire and I like to learn something from everything.

Surely the word “downshifting” is already spinning in your head, but this book is not only and not so much about it. It is about people who were able to change themselves and their lives, about ways to optimize being and consciousness, about how to live the way you want, and about the fact that this is possible.

Of course, they have already written about this abroad. They told stories and gave advice to freelancers, downshifters, and everyone else who dreams of freedom from office slavery. But this book contains almost for the first time the stories, problems, and discoveries of “our” people.

The dream turns out to be closer and more accessible than we thought.

It doesn’t matter whether you are planning dramatic changes in your life or not, in any case, this book will help you imagine what it could be like.

However, don’t be surprised if, after reading to the end, you find yourself... completely happy somewhere in Goa. By-effect. The author is not responsible. I warn you right away.

Who and what is this book about?

Let's try to deal with them. Let's talk about India.

Some of the characters in the book started their journey in Goa. Of course, they had traveled before, but once in India, they stopped striving for the top of the career ladder, seeing the challenge of fate in solving monotonous work tasks and believing in what is usually said at interviews. At one time, not only ordinary managers, but also celebrities “disappeared” in Goa. At one time, Pyotr Buslov (director of “Boomer”) lived there, intending to make a film about all these wonderful reincarnations during life. If you want to know which Russian stars are now buying houses en masse and taking long-term vacations in Goa, then come to the websites of tabloid newspapers. If you can’t live without discussing what Indians or Russians are like in India, or what attracts people to this country - soft drugs or special energy, then you should go to numerous trolling forums. And to those who remain just readers, X. P. Voodoo will speak.

DJ and promoter Timur Mamedov is called the discoverer of Goa for Russians. He himself did not set such a goal for himself, moreover, he did not want masses of people to come there. But his job is to party, and that in itself was bound to attract crowds. So, a long time ago, when the trees were big, and not those who had a lot of money, but those who had none at all, went to India, he found his spiritual homeland there. Well, then off we go.

“I came to Goa when there were no Russians there. If they had told me then, fifteen years ago, that Goa would be what it is now, I would never have believed it. It was a world-famous place frequented by trans parties. But, in principle, there were no conditions for comfortable living there, and until the year 2000 there was no talk of any development of Goa by Russians (and Russian tourists certainly loved to relax in comfort) ... And I did everything possible to prevent this massive “development” from happening . In the nineties, most of my friends, even before traveling to Goa, went through a month-long training course with me: I explained to them how to communicate with the locals, what is allowed and what is not allowed - they had their own unwritten rules. It was not a place for everyone; people learned about Goa through word of mouth.

I remember in those days I lived for a month on the beach - literally on the beach - in a tent. At the end of the month I paid $40 for breakfast, lunch and dinner at a nearby cafe. Now you can live on this amount for two days. But it's not just about the money, and it's hard to explain. Imagine: you are eight years old, you are on vacation, you don’t need to do anything, you are eating ice cream, next to you is the magical sea and your grandmother who buys you cotton candy... Previously, Goa had an atmosphere of childhood: joy, circus, fairy tales. Now everything is more commercialized. Although it seems that the sun, sand, and sea remain the same...

But then people laid out handkerchiefs on the beach and sunbathed naked. Now there are sunbeds and all the amenities, but you can’t even take off your bra. Parties became not really parties. Previously, it was a certain kind of madness: a raging sea of ​​heads, old men on the dance floor, amazing freaks all around, music from dusk to dawn... All this made people fall in love with Goa. Plus, we gave Goa a certain aura of mystery, “opening” it not to everyone, but only to a select few. The forbidden fruit is sweet, what children are forbidden to do is what they want... Mystery began to attract the masses. I am a party person by trade and in a way I was also promoting Goa even though I genuinely didn't want to. In 2004, after the first visit of the Moscow club crowd, everyone learned about Goa.”

Ten years ago, when Timur Mamedov’s daughter was born, he moved to India for permanent residence. Why does he still live in Goa now, when “everything has changed” there? The answer, in his opinion, is obvious: “Compare the climate here - the climate there, the people here - the people there, the prices here - the prices there, the parties here - the parties there. I don’t see what would keep me in Moscow. Benefits of civilization? Now they have appeared in Goa, but they are much cheaper. Both for me and for my daughter – she lives part of the time with me, part of the time with her mother in Italy – it’s better here.”

Now Timur spends nine months a year in Goa, the rest of the time - like a real Indian guest worker - he earns money in other countries. However, he considers his job the most enviable in the world: “You don’t need a lot of intelligence and strength to play records and mix music while drinking beer. And considering how much they pay for it... in general, it’s hard to call it work. In India I organize only two events a year - Russian Christmas and my birthday, the rest of the time I play very rarely, maybe once a month... Just because I’m lazy. For nine months a year I do what everyone who goes to Goa does. That is, nothing. I wake up at whatever time I want (if I don’t have to take the child to school), I do only what I want. You know, people say that they come somewhere, for example to Lake Baikal or Nepal, and understand that this is their territory, that they need to live here forever. So I once came to Goa and realized that I belonged to this place...”

According to Mamedov, it is not for nothing that those who are tired of the dull Moscow routine choose India. And this has nothing to do with downshifting: “Here people open up new perspectives, become better and kinder... This place opens consciousness. Especially the consciousness of Russians, who are tortured by rules and frameworks. And in India they are faced with freedom... I can’t call it down... The one who “wears out” 1
In the narcotic sense of the word.

That one is down... But here it’s only up!”

After we have clarified the situation with India, it is time to deal with the downshift itself. The heroes of this book don’t like the word itself; they prefer to call themselves travellers, aliens, upshifters, timeshifters - anything but down.

The term “downshifting” was born in America in the early nineties - then in Russia, unlike America, the pursuit of success and money was more than an original idea. Washington Post correspondent Sarah Ben Breathna, in one of the first articles on the topic of downshifting, suggested looking at “slowing down the pace of life” (and this is the translation from English) as a new option for success. However, over time, the term simple living (“voluntary simplicity”) took root in England and the USA, and in Australia – sea change (“abrupt change”). And the word “downshifting,” as some researchers claim 2
Other researchers believe that these terms are close in meaning, but are not completely synonymous. They say that “voluntary simplicity” speaks more about cutting costs, while downshifting speaks more about changing priorities and abandoning a vertical career. Personally, these nuances do not seem fundamental to me.

It remains with the Europeans and Russians.

One of the first Russian journalists to tell us in detail about downshifting was Andrey Loshak. Several years ago, he made a television film “Escape Plan”, in which Timur Mamedov, Pyotr Buslov, and many others (including some of the heroes of this book) took part. Then the media more than once delighted us with stories of the rich and famous who moved from the office to the beach. The attitude of the mass audience both to the word “downshifting” and to the heroes themselves was appropriate - envious, suspicious, and condescending. Like, our people don’t take a taxi to the bakery.

Now we have slowly started to travel... And not only to Goa. Egyptian Dahab, Thai islands and even Russian villages - the geography is gradually expanding. Now not only celebrities and oligarchs, tired of the hustle and bustle, are moving to free bread (and even then, in fact, not only they changed their lives), but also mere mortals - ordinary designers, journalists, translators, programmers, small entrepreneurs, and so on. Downshifters - in the meaning of the word that has taken root in Russia - they do not call themselves. But no matter what you call it (I personally liked the words “optimization” and “daoshifting”!), “alternative success” is no longer exotic. And, as they say, an emerging trend.

Why and who needs this book?

– To those who liked Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “There is. Pray. To love” (the story of a journalist who, after a divorce and dismissal, went on a trip for a year). Because this story fits into the framework of downshifting.

– To those who did not like the above-mentioned publication. Because for change you don’t need to wait for a divorce, a nervous breakdown and signing a book contract, and you don’t have to limit yourself to a year of travel - the characters in this book convincingly prove this.

– For those who don’t even know what the previous two paragraphs are talking about, but feel somewhat tired from monotonous work, lack of time, and maybe from life in Russia in general or in a metropolis in particular. Or simply wants new bright impressions, a rich life and happiness every day. But he doesn’t know where to start and what awaits him.

For me personally, this book is valuable because people who one day decided to change their lives share their personal experiences. And then they changed it. And they don't complain.

On the contrary, they boast.

Have you ever wondered what you spend your time on?

Let's do some interesting arithmetic. I promise: it won't be boring.

If you spend an hour a day on the road to work and back, then your “expenses” on transport are about two hundred and fifty hours a year (let’s imagine that you work only on official working days). Or ten and a half days a year - on the road. If you get to your favorite service in an hour and a half, then a month of your life passes on the road (in the subway, trains or more comfortable traffic jams).

Let's add the time you spend getting ready for work (to show up in all your glory) and shopping (to buy something that helps you show off your beauty - it doesn't matter what it is: a suit, a watch or a car). Let it be, for example, half an hour a day for getting ready and three days annually for shopping. Eight more.

Now let's add a modest eight-hour working day of a five-day working week... Although, why modesty? For example, I remember very well a twenty-five-hour working day: the magazine was difficult to deliver, and I, as the main one, was on duty for just over a day. And it was Saturday. You probably also have something to remember in this way. Recalculate by days. The work will take at least three months.

Now add the time you spend thinking about work and talking about work.

Don't forget about the hours it takes to recover from office routine over a glass of tea, and then rehabilitate yourself the next day. For example, if every second Saturday passes under the sign “just come to your senses” - twenty-five days a year are down the drain.

Remember also about those precious minutes that are spent on visiting doctors and psychotherapists, on maintaining social connections (corporate holidays and other officially approved drinking parties, among others), on meetings with people needed by your career or company. Let's sum it up with thousands of seconds that slip away while reading useful, but completely uninteresting professional literature, as well as magazines and books (to keep abreast of events or look a little smarter).

What are the results? It's been six months, right?

Don’t forget to add calls on work issues during non-working hours: by the way, sometimes employees abroad ask employers to pay not for cellular communications, but for time. And companies are going for it. Maybe you're a little shocked? Or not slightly? Or not at all, because you already know what I mean?

Add three to four months of sleep, a couple of weeks of illness, half a day of going to the fitness club (you will probably abandon it, but this will not stop you from buying a subscription to a good sports complex) and - this is sacred! - a week to watch TV or series... Now you can be happy: you have a couple of days left in the year. You can safely spend them on sex, walks in the park, intimate conversations with loved ones, playing with children or learning, say, kendo. True, here you have to choose: there is not enough time for everything.

The book’s website – www.daoshifting.ru – will help you analyze where your time is spent and get acquainted with various options for the ideal daily routine of a happy person.

What do you spend your money on?

The price of money varies. This idea is very easy to understand after basic calculations. If you can live a day on one hundred dollars in Moscow, but five in a Thai village or the Russian village of Pupkino, then money in Moscow is five times cheaper. In this situation, it is obvious that a person who earns half as much as you and lives in India still earns more than you.

Another example: you are choosing between Job A (with a salary of $2,000 and an eight-hour workday) and Job B (with a measly $500 salary and a one-hour workday). Which job is more profitable? It would seem that the answer is obvious... But if you think about it and do the math, it turns out: in the second case, you earn twice as much money ($25 per hour instead of $12.5). Surprisingly, but true: working an hour a day and earning $500 a month, you earn more than those who sell 8 watches daily for $2,000.

The difference is not immediately visible. Perhaps that's why people making $2,000 haven't found other people doing all their work for $1,500. So that control takes no more than an hour a day.

Are you renting an apartment? All the more interesting. Let's find out what you have in this case - in the sense of housing and how you manage it. Let's say you live in Moscow and earn one or two thousand dollars a month. If you monetize a Moscow apartment for $1000 and rent an apartment in Thailand or a small Siberian town for three hundred dollars, you will receive $700 in income monthly. Without going to work. We increase this amount two to three times, taking into account the purchasing power of money, for example, in Asia. Did you feel like an oligarch? Or even this: did you feel free?

What are you used to?

Once every six months you go on vacation. And suddenly you understand: you can’t live like this (quickly, angrily, hastily, aggressively, hurriedly, thoughtlessly). Personally, to me, stories about the post-vacation state and the way out of it somehow subtly remind me of stories about Stockholm syndrome, when the victim sympathizes with his captor, justifies his actions, and a memorable place is returned.

It’s a bit like our annual return from vacation (or weekly return from the weekend) to the beloved hell of traffic jams and planning meetings, to the beloved, but no less unbearable pace of life, to the endlessly attractive, sometimes boring, sometimes nervous work...

By the way, careers are not built everywhere the way they are built in Russia now. In some places abroad, people work half a day or go on annual vacation when they get tired of the office (regarding this in the West, managers sometimes add a special clause to the employment contract, and such a gesture does not surprise anyone, even if the annual vacation is paid). In some places, people build their business so that they can retire as soon as possible and start enjoying life. And in some places they begin to think about a career and self-determination at the age of thirty, and before that they are simply happy with what they have. And this is not something exceptional, they are used to living like this... And how are you used to living?

Chapter 1
How to monetize an apartment,
or
Already tired stories about downshifters living on rent

I don’t like this St. Petersburg life of yours!.. No one has a clear, calm look... One suffers that he is condemned to go to work every day and sit until five o’clock, and the other sighs heavily that he does not have such grace...

I. A. Goncharov. "Oblomov"

Why read this chapter?

Understand what it’s like to do nothing;

Find out if it's right for you;

Mark on the maps the pitfalls that you will break your knees on in any case, which means...

Learn to solve medical issues.

Light contempt and heavy envy permeate the lines of newspaper articles about people who rented out their apartments to visiting careerists and moved away from them - to the sea or to the mountains. They make fun of these people, HR people dedicate angry curses to them. And they are all lying down on the seashore and don’t need anyone’s help at all, despite all the office prophecies.

At the bottom. In Thailand

Halibut is halibut, a bottom-dwelling fish. And also the name of the site of two Muscovites who decided to lay low in Thailand. Their story is more than typical: a thirty-two-year-old woman and a forty-two-year-old man worked in Moscow in the most ordinary way. She is an accountant, he is a top manager. We lived, as expected, from Friday to Friday, from vacation to vacation.

“Ten years ago I came to Moscow to earn money and realize my ambitions. And she implemented, implemented, implemented... - Sailor recalls with a smile (as you guessed, this is not a real name, but a creative online pseudonym). - Of course, the bosses compensated with money for overtime work and the inability to rest when they wanted... But without normal vacations it’s hard to work. A week's vacation does not solve the problem."

Such a regime - without extra hours of sleep and “sick leave” (it is impossible, and even impossible, to be sick for a long time in Moscow - every practicing careerist knows this!) - provided the accountant with an apartment and chronic fatigue syndrome. The top manager had an apartment from the very beginning, so he only worked for the second factor. The eternal circle of “home-work-home-work” made me feel like “a little horse that costs a lot of money.” No more.

QUOTE ON THE TOPIC

- Something has changed…

– Has it gotten better or worse?

– If something has changed, that’s already good.

Dialogue from the movie "Groundhog Day"

One day they sat down and calculated (fortunately their education and work experience helped) exactly what and how much they could afford if they simply rented out their apartments.

“At first we thought of going to a Russian village and living there. But it turned out that the Thai village would be even cheaper,” the newly minted Thais recall. “I wanted to live for a while in pleasure, and not in the feeling that you constantly owe something to someone,” explains the ex-manager. “Live in paradise,” says the ex-accountant.

For two years plans were hatched and calculations were discussed. Over time, dreams took on concrete shape. Downshifters have drawn up a clear minimum program (also known as a maximum program) for the period of an indefinite vacation: get enough sleep, watch movies, read books, eat well, and most importantly, put your nerves in order, tired from the frantic pace of life.

Before this, travelers visited Thailand on raids - they came as tourists for a week, no longer. In September 2010, the manager and accountant quit and went on a trip. They planned to spend six months or a year under the palm trees, and then see what to do next. And whether to do anything at all.

By the time of our conversation, Thai Muscovites had already been living on the beach for six months. More precisely, in a sixty-meter bungalow on the island of Koh Samui, a few steps from the sea.

“The feeling of a highly organized village,” downshifters share their impressions. – There are cafes, shops, travel agencies around. Plus normal roads, good service, excellent Internet, affordable medical care (we once fell off a motorcycle and used travel insurance without any problems). Civilization on the seashore."

In the mornings, our islanders swim, have breakfast and walk, then read books, sometimes swim again and again eat the freshest seafood and fruits... Are your mouth watering?.. I will add that the birds chirp absolutely heartbreakingly when my interlocutors talk on Skype. And from your window, instead of tropical plants and the sea, you can only see endless construction and a highway.

In six months, the accountant has already had time to relax and miss self-realization (writing blog texts slightly relieves stress, but this is no longer enough). The manager doesn’t miss planning meetings and middle managers yet. However, judging by the fact that both of them prefer to remain anonymous both in their blog and in this book, obviously, continuing their careers is still present in their plans, perhaps unconsciously. Or they have not yet managed to accept a new image of themselves - idle, wealthy hedonists, new Russians, almost rentiers.

“Even if we return to Moscow, we plan to work under more lenient conditions: with full vacations and no rush jobs in the evenings and weekends,” explains the ex-accountant. “Obviously, upon returning, you will have to start with other positions and lower salaries, but everything can be made up if there is a desire... Now I want not to chase money, but to work for pleasure.”

In paradise - in addition to the longing for social fulfillment - another problem arises: reduced communication with family and friends. If you fail to regularly lure friends and relatives to your islands (as, for example, my heroes do), you will have to limit yourself to communicating via Skype. Or completely change your social circle.

Arithmetic of freedom. The house of the “Halibuts” (as my heroes jokingly call themselves) costs 21,000 a month (rubles or baht - the rate is almost one to one), and everything about everything (including monthly travel, a variety of food, excursions, and so on) costs about 80,000 for two per month. This number doesn't mean anything. Because on the same island you can live for the same 4 weeks on 40 thousand rubles for three people, or you can live on a smaller amount for more people. And vice versa.

So, the family of another of my heroines (more about her at the end of the chapter) spends a little more than 40,000 rubles a month. for three, of which less than 10,000 is spent on housing. The secrets of saving are traditional: stay in one place longer (you can rent a house cheaper), buy fewer things, cook your own food (although in Asian countries there is always the option of eating very cheaply at local eateries, but not everyone is ready to make such experiments).

For most people, work is a source of income, a means of satisfying daily needs. But it does not always become a factor in so-called “personal happiness.” And then a person begins to think about how to get satisfaction from work, whether this is possible in the given conditions of real life.

Why is work not fun?

Many people think that only a job they love can bring them pleasure. Research by psychologists and sociologists has shown that this statement is not always true. Often people, even doing what they love, experience a feeling of dissatisfaction. Why is this happening? There are many reasons, the main ones being the following:

1. Small salary. It often happens that people leave their favorite job, which brought them pleasure, precisely because it does not allow them to receive the desired income.
2. Unpleasant boss. Many people experience a feeling of discomfort only because there is no contact with management.
3. Team. This is a very important component, because you have to spend most of your working time with colleagues. If there is no mutual understanding in the team, a person stops enjoying work.
4. Health. This is also an important factor, especially for disabled people and people with limited abilities.
5. Lack of certain skills and knowledge. In this case, there is a need to constantly consult with colleagues who are not always ready to help.
6. I just don't like the job. Often people go to work only to receive a stable salary. In this case, there can be no talk of satisfaction.

Each person is unique, each has their own characteristics and talents. For some it is enough to go to work every day, for others it is necessary to constantly prove to themselves and others that they are indispensable. Such people need approval, for which they are willing to do anything. They enjoy the process of doing work, and the time spent at work does not matter. Others, on the contrary, count the hours and minutes until the end of the working day; the very fact of finishing their working hours and the opportunity to leave the hated workplace brings them joy. At the same time, few people think about the fact that they will not receive the desired satisfaction at home either.

How can you learn to get satisfaction from work?

Every person can learn to love their work and receive satisfaction from it. First you need to understand why it is so difficult to wake up every morning with a heavy heart and force yourself to go to work. If a problem exists, it needs to be solved. Sometimes you just need to take vitamins (a monthly course of taking a vitamin-mineral complex can be very effective) or radically change your life.

It all depends on how much you dislike the job. If you just want to change or tweak something a little, then it’s worth doing it. And when you have to force yourself to go to work and return home exhausted and irritated, then you should think about serious changes.

Many issues at work can be resolved by just changing your attitude towards your responsibilities or talking to your boss. As a rule, this helps not only to relieve stress, but also to understand how to learn to gain satisfaction from work. In any case, without identifying the reasons for dissatisfaction, it is impossible to find a way out of the situation. Once the causes are identified, it is time to determine ways to solve the problem. The easiest way is to advise finding another job, but often this option may not be possible for various reasons. Some people are satisfied with the salary, others like the schedule or the convenience of the location, others find it difficult to part with the team. If you objectively evaluate the reasons that prevent you from leaving your job and looking for a new one, you can find many positive aspects. Such an analysis will help you learn to enjoy your work and feel more confident. Psychologists advise people who are dissatisfied with their work to have another option for relieving stress. If you can't find a way to get satisfaction from work, you should try to find something to do in other areas.

Work is only a part of a person’s life, very important, but not the main one. Besides her, there are family, friends, hobbies and much more. You just need to understand what is important and significant in a given period of time, and what can be tolerated or changed. It often happens that hobbies or hobbies not only help relieve stress after a working day, but also become the main source of income. In this case, you can leave the job you don’t like without hesitation and do what you like.

It is difficult to find a person who can say that he loves his job. More often you can hear complaints about low wages, inconvenient schedules, an ununderstanding boss or a difficult team. It is possible to find a solution to the problem, but to do this you will have to carefully study the reasons for your dissatisfaction and find ways to solve them.