My goal? Less stress in life

Ingrid is always busy and has energy for ten: work, education, caregiving, volunteering. All her life. She is a mother of a daughter in high school and a daughter of a mother who needs care. In addition, she volunteers for Sigfa, this foundation provides lectures and workshops on health-related topics.Last February, Ingrid attended a workshop by Sigfa. Meditation, hand gestures, and color techniques were the focus. The aim was to provide people with insights on how to deal with stress, pain, and anger. “I was somewhat hesitant going in,” says Ingrid. “But it touched me in a positive way. I became so excited about what I experienced there; I want to make this known to as many people as possible. It has been very beneficial to me. Less stress, less pain, I hardly use any paracetamol anymore.”

You have destroyed your body

As a young woman, Ingrid sometimes had two jobs: during the day, she was a data processor, and in the evenings and at night, she worked for the Amsterdam Ponscentrale and for the police, among others. A permanent job seemed to her like ‘marrying a company’, which she found frightening. “Due to working a lot, I neglected my body. My wrists and arms have been operated on several times, and my eyesight also deteriorated. In the past, there was no labor law prescribing what was possible and what was not. A specialist told me: ‘You have destroyed your body’. Of course, I gradually reduced my work, retraining also seemed like an option. But due to some bad luck, I ended up outside the work process.”

Less stress in life

Because of this, volunteering is very important to her. She is active in community centers, does board work, and is a caregiver. And so, since the beginning of this year, she has been involved with the Sigfa foundation. “I find it pleasant to contribute to people’s health and reduce stress in their lives in this way. I arrange the spaces where the meetings are held, inform people, and act as a hostess. If you can do good, you should do good. And these people do that. I am happy about it, it is good that it exists.”

You can’t hug everyone

Ingrid wears her heart on her sleeve. “If I see something going wrong or someone being disadvantaged, I take action. I attract people who need a listening ear. It almost comes naturally that you can help people then. You can tell they’ve been helped by small things. That gives a lot of satisfaction. The common thread in my life is the well-being of others. I don’t expect gratitude, I enjoy listening to people.” “But,” she adds, “you can’t hug everyone, sometimes I walk around them in a curve. You learn that too.”Photos: Jackie Mulder
Interview: Helen Kooistra

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