Does
your mother-in-law make you want to bite your nails? Does your work make you
feel overwhelmed and unable to cope? What do you do when you just want to
scream and stop the world? Stress is a derivation of the Latin word meaning ‘to
be drawn tight.’ Which is exactly what happens when too many bills come at
once, or your breathing gets faster and more shallow.
A
caveman out on a hunt or a soldier on the front line needs the stress response
in his body in order to have the energy to fight; the anticipation of the
life-or-death experience puts his entire physiology into a state of red alert. So
from a positive perspective, stress enables us to meet challenges, to push
ourselves into new areas of experience or understanding, through heightening
awareness and focusing concentration.
All
of this would be fine if we had a bear to hunt or a war to wage. However, the
stress most of us are dealing with is not from life-or-death situations, but is
the distress that arises from an
accumulation of pressure from much smaller issues. And although each separate
incident may appear benign, if our response becomes increasingly stressful and we
are no longer able to maintain our equilibrium then the body will put out the
red alert. The stress response is activated when we are unable to adjust our
behavior or deal creatively with demanding circumstances; we soon feel
overwhelmed, like a steam cooker coming to full pressure. We are the only one
who can turn down the heat, but unfortunately we usually feel powerless to do
so.
When
there is no animal to hunt or war to fight in which to release the energy
accumulating inside us, where does it go? What happens to the urge
to scream, to lash out, to find release from the tension?
In
the US, stress-related problems cost the economy up to $300 billion per year,
with $7,500 per person lost per year to stress, whether through absenteeism or
decreased productivity. According to the American Psychological Association and The
American Institute of Stress, over 19 million Americans are affected by stress,
77% suffer from suffer from physical symptoms and 73% from
emotional and psychological symptoms, and by one account. That's a whole lot of
stress, and it is on the rise.
Few
of us like to think of ourselves as stressed, we prefer to think of stress as
what happens to others, without realizing how susceptible we may be ourselves. The
most comprehensive study of the causes of stress was done by Drs. Holmes and
Rahe at the University of Washington. They based their findings on the level of
adjustment required for different circumstances, as the inability to adequately
adjust is most likely to stimulate the stress response. Their Social Readjustment Scale placed the death of a spouse as the most
difficult circumstance to adapt to, followed by divorce or separation. In more
recent studies, money problems and work/unemployment issues are being rated
more highly. To that list we must also add environmental stressors, such as
pollution, traffic, noise, and increased population.
What
must be remembered, however, is that as we all respond differently to
circumstances, a divorce may be high on the list of stressors for one person
but it may be a welcome relief to another! Our perception of the circumstances
and of how well we can cope is the vital factor. For although we may have
little or no control over the circumstances or stressors we are dealing with,
we do have control over our understanding of the situation, and over our
response. Remember: we cannot stop the
wind but we can adjust our sails. Although changing our circumstances
certainly can help, it may be only temporary. Invariably, no matter where we go
or what we do, the change that is the most effective is within ourselves.
In
a relaxed state we have access to far greater physical and psychological energy
levels. That is why stress-management is fast becoming an integral part of most
forward thinking businesses. The greatest lesson we are learning, both individually
and collectively, is that we can work with our stress response and develop a
higher level of adaptability, and that the results of such change have a
far-reaching effect on every aspect of ourselves, each other and our world.
We would love to hear your comments on what causes you stress and how you deal with it? You can receive notice of our blogs every Tuesday by checking Become a Fan at the top.
You
can pre-order a copy of our book at: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform
You and the World. It will be published Nov 3rd. Join us for a
booksigning: Nov 3rd in Boulder CO; Nov 11th in Portland OR; Nov 13th in
Seattle WA; Nov 16th in NYC; and Nov 17th in Springfield MA. More details at: www.EdandDebShapiro.com
****
Ed and
Deb Shapiro’s new book, BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform
You And The World, with forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman,
with contributors such as Marianne Williamson, astronaut Edgar Mitchell, Ellen
Burstyn, Michael Beckwith, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jane Fonda, Jack Kornfield, Byron
Katie, will be published Nov 3rd 2009 by Sterling Ethos. Deb is the author of
the award-winning book YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND. Ed and Deb are the authors of over 15
books, and lead meditation retreats and workshops. Enjoy their 3 meditation
CD’s: Metta - Loving kindness and Forgiveness; Samadhi – Breath
Awareness and Insight; and Yoga Nidra – Inner Conscious
Relaxation, available on their website:
www.EdandDebShapiro.com