Creative Coping Mechanism in Dealing with the Sinking City

Dubbed as the fastest sinking city in the world, Jakarta faces the biggest flooding challenge in decades this year. I experienced it myself, as I woke up on the first day of 2020 with flood immersing through my home, and even drowning my car up to its roof, turning it into a submarine (too bad I can't ride it, would it be cool if it's true right?). Not only me but about 173,000 people from almost 40,000 households also experienced the same fate. Many offices and shops were forced to close. Even the Halim Perdanakusuma Domestic Airport was also forced to shut down due to floods and electricity shutdowns

We are in a state of climate emergency. Flooding has been Jakarta's perennial problem for several decades, but, this time, it covers almost all reas of the city. I was livid. I had mixed feelings about leaving my house as I was evacuated, leaving everything behind. But, surprisingly, I wasn't stressed out and disconcerted at all. I could think straight. I knew what to do next for my little family and me. I wasn't baffled by the situation. 

Why? Because we face a lot of conflicting situations at work, and we need to think creatively to make the best outcome from every case. In Contendr, where I work, I need to think constructively to find a solution to any situation nonetheless. And now, I am really thankful for that because then it helped me with the flooding situation!

"Having a creative and positive mindset definitely gave me an advantage when coping with the Jakarta floods."

Not only makes me more creative, but the positive vibe at the office also teaches me to be happy-go-lucky at any given time, even in the worst condition, like facing your car got swamped in flood water for 2x24 hours straight. Because the office culture is both supportive and positive, any problem should be faced with a happy mindset.

If I were me from 2-3 years ago, I would already be bellowing in the pit of despair, thinking of how to pay off the car repairs and cleaning the mud-drenched furniture. Now, all I think about is how to take my clean clothes and my laptop to a safer place, send my dirty clothes to the laundry place, and get a tow truck to take my car to the repair shop--all without making a fuss.

I am thankful for my colleagues as well. While I was evacuated to a safer place, going through this living nightmare, my co-workers helped me by tackling the work that was supposed to be assigned to me. There's no way I would find another working environment as pleasant as the place of work I am having right now. I am, indeed, blessed with a reliable, trustworthy, and helpful team in a workplace with an uplifting atmosphere.

Having a creative and positive mindset definitely gave me an advantage when coping with the Jakarta floods. Thanks to the absence of stress or other negative factors, I could focus more on problem-solving, as cultivated from my happy workplace, Contendr.