Reflections on work, life, and the little things that make a difference
This column explores the quiet patterns that shape our days – unpacking ordinary moments to find shared meaning. It doesn’t claim to offer answers but hopes to offer perspective and perhaps a little calm along the way.
When One Word is Better Than Ten
Some days in my work involve a fair bit of travelling. I might begin the morning in Hamilton and make my way up to Ngāruawāhia to run a session with one group, before meeting another later in the day.
The other day, something interesting happened. In the morning session, one of the learners mentioned that they were feeling “stressed”. It was said almost casually, the way people often say it when life feels heavy. I was curious so encouraged them to tell me more about it. Not in a formal way, just a gentle conversation to understand what was sitting underneath that word. After a few minutes, it became clear that what they were really feeling wasn’t quite stress – it was actually uncertainty.
There were a few things in their life that felt unsettled, and the lack of clarity was making everything feel harder than it needed to be. Once that word surfaced, the conversation shifted because uncertainty can be approached quite differently from stress – sometimes simply gathering better information improves things greatly.
But later that afternoon, in another group, the same word appeared again. Another learner said they were “stressed”. The circumstances sounded different this time though, so we explored it a little further. As the conversation unfolded, it became clear that the feeling wasn’t really stress either – it was actually exhaustion.
Their days had quietly filled with too many responsibilities and too little rest. Once that word appeared, the situation looked very different – exhaustion doesn’t need more information but rather, recovery, support and sometimes permission to pause.
By the end of the day, the same word – “stress” – had revealed two very different realities.
A Thought to Carry With Us?
It made me realise how often we reach for broad words to describe something that is actually quite specific. Words like stress, busy or overwhelmed can cover many different experiences. And when the word is vague, the path forward can become vague too.
But when the right word appears, the situation becomes clearer and the next step becomes visible. What once felt like a tangled problem begins to look more manageable. Perhaps the things that matter most deserve the effort of finding the right word, because every now and then, one word really is better than ten.
Ganga Sudhan enjoys finding small insights in everyday moments and sharing them as reflections on work, life and the in-betweens. You can reach him at ganga@rte.co.nz or find him on LinkedIn via the QR Code to follow his latest musings.
