How to Cope with the Daily Drudgery

Today we hear Job’s lamentation: “Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade.”

Do we sometimes feel like that? Life sometimes feels like all work. I work all day. I come home and work on my household. Then I rest a little and get up and do it again and again and again. And if I have a demanding job on any given day or week, my work spreads into the night and weekend. Work is never-ending until I retire! 

Even if you feel a sense of purpose in your job like I do, this feeling of endless work and responsibility can be overwhelming and so many of us feel it in a world that keeps demanding more of us. It can lead us to feelings of anxiety, depression, and even despair. The thought ‘Did I enter this world just to work endlessly,’ crept into my mind this past week. Is life just never-ending labor and tasks?

I believe that one of the reasons why work/life balance is so important to people in the workforce -- because they want more in their lives beyond these feelings of drudgery. In a world where mental and spiritual health just keeps on suffering, we realize that the endless drudgery is really getting to us mentally and we need more to life that fosters joy, purpose, and hope to be whole, healthy, and happy people.

I also think we have to enlighten our mindsets. Instead of getting swallowed up in anxiety and despair like Job did, we have to bring our thoughts back each day to finding small joys, restful moments, hopes, and blessings with prayer and meditation.

The examen helps me do that each day. Spending 5 minutes reflecting on what I’m grateful for, the blessings I’ve been given, and the small joys of today are what help me get through a life of drudgery. In addition, continuing to try to live a purposeful life beyond day to day work (such as with family, volunteering, and helping others) also helps, especially when I bring myself back to that purpose often. Lastly, reflecting on God with me in my challenges in another way to lighten the daily load. 

Finally, it can be helpful to think about what you’d actually do when you retire and don't have to work as hard. Many family members around me are retiring or have retired and I find myself thinking more about this question, plus my financial planner also asks me this every year around this time to get a gauge of how much money I’ll need to retire! 

What would I do with my time? I’d probably do more of what I do now that gives me joy. Rest, read, relax, volunteer, do creative pursuits, and spend more time with Jesus. Maybe I’d go be an executive director of a non-profit I care about, be a full time spiritual director or coach, or do something with less material weight on my life. Weaving these things into my life now can help me get through to that eventual day. The lesson: Let’s not wait until retirement to live life fully, but live some of those goals and aspirations now to balance our lives.

Do they take away the drudgery? No. But they do help change my mindset and foster a sense of rest, leisure, hope, and purpose while we're living the daily grind. I think those are the solutions God gives us to cope with the drudgery we find ourselves in.