Stress Management: The 5th Pillar of Health
“Trees lose their leaves every year yet they stand strong. Don’t be afraid to let go.”
Stress! I remember a time when that word was “new”. In my childhood, the word was not used. Somewhere around the 1930’s, Hans Selye became the “founder of stress theory” (ncbi.org). He did extensive research on the impact of stress on the human body, eventually publishing what was probably one of the first books focusing on stress, The Stress of Life.
By the 1970’s and ‘80’s, “stress” was a household word. This is much like the term “anxiety”. Once upon a time, one would say that they were “nervous”. “Anxiety” was reserved as a clinical diagnosis. Now, people report having anxiety very often. Likewise, the word “stress”
May have replaced terms such as “upset”, “overwhelmed” or “excited”. Nonetheless true stress, if prolonged or chronic, can have serious health implications. I think that society is just starting to believe this.
It seems that during the twenty-first century, we got this idea that more is better. Multitasking became a way of life for many. The more items that we could check off of our to-do list, the better. Productivity=success. It was almost something to aspire to be: stressed out. Staying at home, raising kids and managing households was no longer “enough”.. Women believed that they needed to earn their own money while juggling those other duties. Men worked longer, seeking great wealth and devaluing their impact at home. Go-go-go, do-do-do and not much be-be-be. We are now seeing the results of that mentality.
Take multitasking, for instance. The Cleveland Clinic reports that multitasking results in a weaker grasp of information, poor retention of the material, brain drain, and higher levels of frustration, anxiety and stress. Although many wear it as a badge of honor, being a great multitasker, one might consider these negative implications to decide if that characteristic is something that you want or not.
Constantly under stress, you may experience headaches, gut issues, hypertension, chest pain, insomnia. The more that we study the impact of stress on the human body, the clearer it becomes that we need to slow down! We need to value our health and address our symptoms in a way that is aligned with nature and our natural rhythms. And we need to tell ourselves that it is okay, no, more than that, it is necessary to reevaluate our lifestyle and grow self-compassion. We DON’T have to do EVERYTHING. What we need to do is find a way to create spaces in our lives that facilitate restoration and rejuvenation. Balance. This can be a valuable experiment to each of us.
For those of you that know me, this has not always been an attractive idea to me. I was always running! I raised my 3 daughters while going to nursing school and working 3 jobs to support us. When I wasn’t working, I was running the kids to and fro and doing volunteer work and working out. After nursing school, I was working on the house and running races and always seeking out fun things for us to do. After the kids were pretty grown I continued racing, biking, studying yoga, Ayurveda and eventually Pilates. I was always out and about or traveling. I had convinced myself that I needed to squeeze every last drop out of life, tasting all of the delicious items at the buffet. It wasn’t until I lost Megan that I started to slow down and look at what all of that running around got me.
Losing her was like a lightning bolt in my life, shocking my very existence. My body hurt every day. I couldn’t sleep and I had no appetite for food or life. My blood pressure was in the 200’s/100’s and I developed 3 clots in my leg. My hair was falling out and my teeth were decaying. In Ayurveda, we say, “the body knows long before the mind catches up”. My body and soul were tapped out from a lifetime of chronic stress and the shock of losing Megan. If I was to choose life, I needed to reevaluate how I did things and address issues that could take me out. {I’ll share that journey on another day but just to say that stress took its toll on me and I am grateful that I woke up and heeded its warnings. }
Changing things up and slowing down has provided not only better health (my labs are perfect, I work out with ease, my sleep is divine, my memory is amazing and my hypertension is non-existent) but my life satisfaction is greater. I have tools to address any major stress, such as the car accident or losing the job or having financial worries, that comes along. The low level of stress that I experience from everyday life never gets the best of me. Well, mostly never. :) My priorities are my family, friends and my own personal growth and I am very clear on that.
So, I compiled a list of stress-busters for you to turn to when you decide that you want to decrease this in your life. Obviously, when you reevaluate your own personal stressors, it may be time to decide how to eliminate or reduce some of the culprits. It may be time to stop doing something altogether; such as reducing the number of days you work out hard, or the number of clubs that you belong to or the number of hours that you spend on SM. I want to be here for you, to tell you that you are worth the effort. There is magic and peace in “the slow”. Life can be richer and more satisfying if you take a few items out and allow yourself to just be. Breathe.
I met a young woman last week who was struggling with a decreased level of activity due to recently having surgery, causing her to have restricted activity during her recovery. As she spoke, I felt her nervous energy and her desire to just “do more” to alleviate her frustration and feeling of unsettledness. I shared with her some wisdom that I have gained: there is magic in “the slow”. When I am overwhelmed with activities and lists, I know that I am avoiding something else. Why am I keeping myself from focusing on a single thought? Why am I staying so busy that I collapse into bed, exhausted from it all? Why am I avoiding just being with me or allowing my mind to rest? Upon realizing what my motive is, avoidance of the still and quiet and ultimately myself, I remind myself that I am worth knowing and loving. No doubt, this is a hard sell for me too, but just something to consider. Personally, I want to optimize my brain function and live as healthfully as I can for as long as I can and this means a concerted effort to reduce the stress in my life. I hope that you feel the same! YOLO!
