Daily commute can affect mental health
Daily commute can affect mental health
JAKARTA (JP): Eddi wakes up at 4:30 every morning to catch the
5:30 a.m. train to Jakarta from his house in Serpong, 30
kilometers west of here.
He usually arrives at the Tanah Abang railway station in
Central Jakarta at 7:00 a.m, and takes a bus to his office on Jl.
Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.
If he manages a seat on the train, he makes the most of it and
sleeps.
"If I don't sleep, I'm sleepy at work. That means I won't be
able to do my typing job well," says Eddi.
Disagreeing that commuting and work proficiency is linked,
psychologist Dewi S. Matindas says there is no direct link
between commuting and working effectively.
"Effectiveness at work relies more on someone's character and
motivation," she argues.
"Especially for work that doesn't require physical activity,
there is no direct link," Dewi insists.
Fatigue caused by commuting, however, can effect someone's
mental health. People who are over tired tend to become angry and
tense easily, she explains.
The physical exhaustion caused by commuting can effect
concentration, accuracy and meticulousness. Workers, like
technicians who install minute parts or a typists like Eddi, are
even more prone to exhaustion.
Dewi suggests that those whose work requires concentration or
physical activity have a drink and a rest for several minutes
after their commute.
Dewi says a busy person required to attend meetings in several
different places in a day is likely to have problems
concentrating. Spending too much time sitting in the city's
traffic while attempting to meet a tight schedule heightens the
problem.
"Someone rushing to speak at another meeting far from the
office and is already late, and then has to face traffic jams and
heat, is susceptible to stress and, as a result, might not be
able to concentrate," Dewi says.
Fatigue
She points out that driving may also increase fatigue.
"Those who commute long distances from home to work, but take
public transportation and can get a short sleep on the way, may
not be too tired at work," she says.
Zoemrotin K. Susilo, chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers
Protection Agency, says commuting affects efficiency.
"If Jakarta's human resources cannot work effectively, whether
they are civil servants or not, it is a big disadvantage to the
state because they're actually the country's assets," Zoemrotin
argues, echoing the government's line.
She blames the problem on flawed city planning that forces
people to commute every day.
"The ideal situation would be to have housing complexes near
working places. And, the housing complexes must cater to various
social classes, from the upper to lower because all kinds of
workers need houses," she says.
Housing complexes and apartments located near working centers
are now exclusively for the wealthy. Consequently, everyone else
must live in the suburbs, far from their place of work.
Since her ideal condition is far from reality, Dewi says the
government should implement effective public transportation and
build safe parking lots at terminals.
"Build a parking lot near Depok railway station so those who
have private cars can park their cars there and then go to
Jakarta by train. It reduces traffic and the use of fuel," she
explains. (als)