Standing on the side of protecting myself

It was during a hot summer.
When I reached the threshold of menopause, I couldn't keep up with the rapid changes in my body and had a panic attack.
An indescribable sense of anxiety, nausea, and headaches.
And a feeling of collapse.
Whether I was asleep or awake, the ceiling would spin around and wouldn't stop. I didn't have the energy to climb the stairs, so I laid out a futon in the living room and stayed collapsed there the whole time.
There was also a time when I almost lost consciousness on the train while commuting, and I desperately held on and managed to catch a taxi home.
I saw my limits and quit my job.

Last year was hot, too.
I couldn't sleep. I had headaches, nausea, and felt so sick I couldn't even open my eyes.
My strength drained away, and I couldn't stand.
The heat triggered a sense of despair, filled with fear and anxiety that I might end up like before.
I crawled to a gynecologist, got a prescription for herbal medicine, and somehow managed to get through it.

And now, this year's scorching summer.
I went to the gynecologist again, got a month's worth of medicine, and have been taking it without fail.
I started drinking apple cider vinegar, and I've been able to move around with a bit more energy. (Is it true that illness comes from the mind?)
Even so, despite it almost being September, we are experiencing abnormal weather with daytime temperatures exceeding 34°C or 35°C.
I don't know when or where something might happen to this body of mine.

...

One day, while I was drinking tea at work, I received a handover call from a colleague.
The business took only a few minutes, but there was something else she wanted to talk about.

We work regardless of weekends or holidays.
Inevitably, those days, when there are many visitors, are a great opportunity to welcome many new customers.
That is why we are the ones tasked with standing outside and calling out to people.
Part-timers are hired during busy seasons, but due to the budget, we can't have them in every week.
When that happens, the role falls to us.

Even though a tent is set up, just standing for a few minutes in this scorching sun makes my head feel dizzy.
She said she forced herself to stand there because if she didn't, she would have no place in the office, and she had no choice but to follow the supervisor's instructions.
She also said that when she got home, she would vomit and sometimes collapse, feeling unsteady.
She was suffering from full-blown heatstroke.

(Other places) are standing, you know.
She says she will never forget that one remark made by a supervisor. Since then, I have hated that person. I don't even speak to them.
She says with a little chuckle.
If I am forced to stand outside any longer, I will explode; I will quit on the spot.
And I will tell headquarters everything.
I might look like this, but I can be quite scary.
I hear that little chuckle again near my ear. She is probably serious.

I told her.
You don't have to stand.
I don't stand. Of course, if I see customers walking by, I'll go out and call out to them, but I told her that it's impossible to stand there when no one is walking by in that dangerous heat with the sun reflecting off the ground.
Yes, but... it's awkward.
She is a serious person.

When I said, 'I just sit in the office and drink tea,' she sighed and laughed, saying she wanted to reach that level soon, too.
You have to protect your own body.
No matter how much they raise your hourly wage, you can't buy health. Heatstroke cannot be prevented by someone throwing words at you that might be taken as concern, like 'Please take breaks while you work.'
Do they lack imagination?
'It's just part of the job. You can manage yourself while calling out to customers, right?'

I cannot find anything in work that is more important than my own body and health.
The only person who can protect me is myself.
Let's raise our voices.
The employer side, the employee side.
I believe we should be equal, and if we aren't, we must be.

I slapped my knee in agreement with Ayatori Lily's article, thinking, 'That's exactly right.'
Thank you 😊