THE way we perceive the world around us can directly effect our bodies by stimulating the stress response. This instinctive stress response has evolved over millions of years as a means of preparing the body to respond properly to the perception of a dangerous or life-threatening situation. Whenever the mind accurately or mistakenly perceives danger or a “threat”, a flurry of nerve and hormone activities are triggered by part of the involuntary nervous system to prepare the body to deal with the “danger”.
This is the “fight or flight” response, a carry-over from the time when society was much less complex and the dangers threatening man were constant. Man had to hunt, run away from or fight off predators on a regular basis in order to survive. This instinctive mechanism served our ancestors well. However, we no longer live in such a simple world and although this response is still occasionally appropriate in today’s society, it generally serves no purpose at all.
Today we find ourselves subjected to more pressures and stress than at any other time in history. We live in a complex social and economic structure with an ever increasing sense of urgency, having too much to do with too little time to do it. The stress generally experienced does not arise from life-threatening situations, but from the so called “daily frustrations, irritations and worries” of living in a complex society. We unnecessarily activate the same fight or flight response as our ancestors did while fighting for survival. By constantly eliciting the stress response, we break down the body’s internal balance. This breakdown is a factor involved in 90% of all illness, and in some illness it is the cause. Although these reactions tend to become habitual stress patterns, they can be greatly reduced and even eliminated through the basic principles of stress management and relaxation.
No one is exempt from stress. It is not confined to any one person or to any particular group of people. We experience stress due to the pressures of success or failure, when we do not have enough time in a day to accomplish our goals or when we have too much time on our hands. We experience stress due to the pressures of marriage and a family or the pressures of being single. All of this suggests that stress is in the mind and not in the world, and that it is the continued blaming of these outer events and circumstances which serve to keep us bound to our stress.
Stress is a function of “how we see, not what we see.” Self-monitoring is the technique for gaining self-awareness; a way of collecting specific data about ourselves over time, to increase our awareness of certain stress producing ways of seeing or attitudes which result in destructive patterns of behavior. Although many people take the position that “ignorance is bliss”, it is simply not true. Ignor-ance is what is responsible for chronic stress.It is the ongoing, “ignoring” or repression of feelings and responses in our lives that leads to illness, not bliss.
If we look at the process of stress management, we can see that the correct approach is bi-directional; first, from the inside where the focus is on our psychological life, and second, from the outside, where the focus is on relaxing our muscles.
INCORPORATING one or more of the following into your life can greatly reduce the negative effects of stress.
~Plan a short “time-out” in your day; take a few slow, deep breaths, exhale and focus for a moment or two on a serene, relaxing place or memory.
~Break up your day with exercise, a simple walk will do.
~ Schedule more sleep time or add a replenishing “cat nap.”
~Remember to fuel your body throughout the day with healthy food choices.
~ Insure an adequate intake of water.
~Limit your intake of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol which over stimulates and over taxes your body.
~ Adjust or rearrange your schedule or commitments to allow more 'breathing' room in your day.
~ Engage in a fulfilling hobby (or two).
~Spend quality time with friends and family who’s company you enjoy.
