Minimizing Stress in Your Life
I think most of you would agree with the statement that in general women lead stressful lives. I honestly don’t know how we do it all sometimes. I’m convinced that this ability to be amazing multitaskers is one of God’s gift to women. Even the most unorganized of us can somehow juggle several things going on at once.
But if you think about it, we really don’t have a choice but to somehow get it done. People are depending on us. We have jobs to do, a home to manage, husbands & boyfriends to….(I’ll let you fill that in), children to tend to, houses of faith in which to serve, meetings to attend, errands to run, etc. Not to mention those things we need to do for ourselves like go to bed at a decent hour, study for a test or write a paper, work on a personal project, etc.
Notice that so far I haven’t mentioned anything relaxing or fun. For many of us, fun and relaxing is way down at the bottom of the list – if it’s even on the list at all. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to know that little to no fun in life is not a good thing. Just like having a life of leisure with little to no work or responsibility is also not a good thing. In my opinion, it’s all about being able to find the balance between work and play.
In an attempt to support my opinion with valid scientific information, I decided to do some research on stress and how it effects us physically and mentally (particularly since my issue is NOT having too much leisure and very little work).
The first thing I learned is that stress is not necessarily a bad thing. I have come to associate stress as being a bad thing because it is a term normally used when someone is referring to a difficult or traumatic circumstance.
According to one source, stress is defined as a physical, mental or emotional response to events that causes bodily or mental tension. Put another way, stress is any outside force or event that has an effect on our body or mind. I think that covers any and everything that we my encounter in life, both good and bad.
Obviously, the good will produce a positive effect on the body and mind by adding excitment and anticipation to one’s life. Otherwise, life would be boring. On the other hand, too much negative stress could lead to feelings of being overwhelmed. Not to mention the toll it would eventually take on the body if we do not learn the techniques that will help us manage negative stress so that our minds and bodies stay healthy.
Here are some other interesting facts about (negative) stress:
- Stress has been linked to all leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, accidents and suicide;
- Long-term stress is strongly associated with depression, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders and weakened immune systems;
- Stress can lead to diminished sexual desire, an inability to achieve orgasm in women and impotence in men;
- Over 90% of disease is caused or complicated by stress;
- 54% of adults are being treated for depression;
- The leading causes of stress are finances, work or job, family, personal relationships, physical health and death of a loved one.
There are several techniques that can be combined to relax the body and uplift the mind to make negative stress more manageable. Some of these techniques include: prayer, meditation, yoga, massage & aromatherapy. One study conducted at UCLA suggests that friendships among women can actually counteract the effects of stress as well. Read the entire article here: http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/gender/tendfend.html
It’s clear from what I’ve learned that it’s not only a good idea to find a balance in life, it’s essential to our long term well being. I know this to be true in theory, but it is definately easier said than done. However, we must do it for the sake of ourselves and those who love us.
1 comment January 26, 2009
Tags: Journey to the Ultimate ME - Volume I
