We are always in the company of spouse or children or school/college friends or colleagues or neighbors or in the company of members of other groups that we belong to and whom we meet regularly. With mobile phones and social media ,there is no reason not to be in touch with any of these folks if physical proximity is not possible.

We usually don’t discuss about our personal issues with colleagues nor do we discuss our problems at the workplace with our spouse/children. I always believed that one has to be very professional at the workplace. It is generally felt that one shouldn’t carry office pressures to the home and vice versa.

I strictly followed this rule and never shared/discussed issues pertaining to the workplace with hubby. We hardly had the time to discuss. There were other important stuff to be sorted out. But there were occasions when I felt I could do with some advice  and had to share some details with hubby. I then found it very difficult to explain the whole scenario in one go. It would have been much easier if I had updated hubby frequently about the happenings at the workplace.

As new employees joined  I noticed that the new recruits huddled up each morning and updated each other about the happenings of the previous evening or quickly discussed other official/personal plans for the day .They get to their desks only after this ritual is completed each day. I found this very silly and unprofessional. Another occasion for a little chit chat occurs during lunch hour in the dining room. I would join them during lunch once in a while but never appreciated the silly talk that goes on.

After a little introspection I decided to change my attitude towards these exchange sessions and started participating. I soon found that these exchanges made me comfortable, easy going , joyful. A lot of solutions would emerge from the others in the group whenever one of them expresses an issue that they were facing , however silly it seemed. Life seemed to be smoother as all those little personal issues that bothered me now seemed to vanish. Am sure others too benefitted from the solutions that I offered.

I soon realized that every man has this innate desire to share their thoughts/feelings of joy/troubles with another person(s). I also realized the importance and necessity of sharing . Sharing is like therapy . A lot of stress is relieved when you share. Once we start sharing we soon learn that everyone has similar experiences at work and home and that we are not alone. There is a feeling of oneness and closeness with everyone around us.

So my advice to all is to share . There are more gains than losses when you share. Share your personal issues with a confidant(e) at the workplace or a school/college friend or your parents or hubby depending on what the issue is about. Also share your work pressures with other colleagues ( with boss too if required) and with your spouse. You will never regret having shared if you exercise a little caution.

The most positive effect of sharing is that stress levels reduce. Stress is the number one cause of all lifestyle diseases which are life threatening as well.

So, SHARE and benefit !