Stress is pretty ubiquitous, meaning there is good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). However, regardless of the type, it can all seem overwhelming at times. I know, I personally, am having huge distress periods due to recently passing the one year anniversary of both my mother's death and my last remaining aunt's death as well as being gainfully underemployed and yada, yada. My point being, we all have variations of these scenarios dancing like "sugar plums through our heads" at various times. Adding our exaggerated weather patterns in 49 of 50 states in the United States this winter as well as civil unrest in many countries, and you will have a whole bunch of people feeling very stressed! While we all have our own highly individualistic reactions as well as solutions for stress, it is not unlike cold air in the winter, it will find a crack in the armour and "creep" in ever so slowly! Thus, the key in dealing with stress effectively is to moderate it! I have not mastered this so far, but, continue to try. I truly believe that living in the "electronic" era in which we all do currently, serves to add an extra layer of stress. For instance, how many times have you cursed the fact that you can not detach from your I-Phone, I-Touch, Computer, etc., only to find yourself drawn back to them like you are under some spell? I too, am complicit in this dogma! I both love and detest technology all in the same breathe! The fact is that progressive amounts of stress can not only adversely affect one's body, but the mind as well, leading to increased levels of both anxiety and depression, etc. We all suffer from the physical symptoms of stress as well, such as: high blood pressure, hormonal imbalance, headaches and digestive disturbances, to name only a few! It is very important to find one's own way to deal with stress in a positive manner as if left unchecked for long periods of time, it will erode one's health over time. I will once again, refer to deep breathing as a great mechanism in dealing with stress as well as any activity which induces one to do so such as: yoga, aerobic exercise, meditation as well as partaking in alternative healing modalities such as: chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, etc. This blog is merely an introduction into the topic of stress. A person can find many books and internet sources which can lead them on their path to develop their individualized tools in dealing with stressors. In parting, I do have one brief stress tip that I would like to impart. I call it the ten commandments for reducing stress:
1. Thou shall not be perfect or even attempt to be
2. Thou shall not try to be all things to all people (women, are you paying attention!)
3. Thou shall not leave undone things that ought to be done
4. Thou shall not spread thyself too thin
5. Thou shall learn to say "no" without guilt
6. Thou shall schedule time for thyself
7. Thou shall have something to look forward to every day!
8. Thou shall sometimes be slack, idle and inelegant
9. Thou shall have a little piece of chocolate every day...as I did from Godiva today!
10. Thou shall embrace the present and let go of the past (biggie!)
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