Are stress and your health linked? You bet! Many doctors and authors have said that the way to live a long life is to reduce your daily stress. As the famous author Dale Carnegie said in his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, stress can actually make you sick. He states that there are studies that show worry can cause bodily diseases and maladies such as tooth decay, arthritis, ulcers, skin problems, apocia (baldness), and even eyesight problems. The interesting thing about that statement is that Dale Carnegie published this book in 1948! This concept has been around awhile, but I am not sure we are all paying attention to how to address stress to protect our health.
Everyday life and making a living can not only zap our energy and passion, but it also envelopes us in layers of stress that are so subtle, we do not notice day to day what it is doing to us. Over time, the constant bombardment of stress can internally affect EVERY part of our being, including our cells, our brain, our bodies, and ultimately our spirit.
There is so much stress in our daily lives, and as the world spins faster and faster, I believe the stress will become greater and greater. It is always, “How can I fit more things into my day?” “How can I get all that done and even prepare for tomorrow?” Not only are we doing more today, but we are so hard on ourselves to be the perfect organizers for “tomorrow,” which hasn’t even happened yet!
I recently compared two photos of myself. One when I was on vacation last year in Southern California with my husband and one from a month ago after a very long day of work. Which one do you think showed more vibrancy, a bigger smile, and a zest for life? Sure enough, it was the vacation photo! It was eye opening to me through viewing these photos that “moments in time” can be the most potent view of what stress does to us every day – how our bodies react to it, and our faces and eyes represent it.
This points out that one of the most dangerous things about stress is how it can sneak up on you without you realizing it is even a factor. Like interest on a bank account, it compounds daily! Think about this scenario: You are late to work due to perhaps a child at home not wanting to go to school that day. Then when you arrive, your boss fusses at you due to your being late. To top it off, you have a huge meeting at 10 A.M. that you totally forgot to prepare for! The stress of just those 4 hours that morning go beneath your physical surface and can do the following to your physical health: raise your blood pressure, tighten your chest with anxiety, give you a headache, and possibly even make you short of breath! If you multiply such types of events over the course of the week, your weekend may be full of exhaustion from just dealing with the build-up of day-to-day stressors in your life. Further, you may be irritable with your family and friends when you do get to see them, because you are so stressed out from your job! And ultimately, you are setting yourself up to be more vulnerable to illness and disease.
I recently asked some Facebook friends what they thought about stress and how it affects their life and health. One of the things I discovered from them is that stress can make us lose focus on what we are doing or trying to achieve. You get so worried and stressed about something, and then you are unable to focus on anything – including the original dilemma! For some of us, this puts us further and further behind on goals, as we chase our tails in circles, knowing we have to get that thing “done.” The stress keeps us from calming down and zeroing in on completing the task.
Another person mentioned the hormone that the body secrets, called cortisol, which ramps up the more we get stressed out. If you are trying to lose weight, this stress hormone actually interferes with your physiological processes and ages the human body more quickly! This may be one of the reasons my “vacation” photo looked like a much younger version of myself than the “after work day” picture.
On a spiritual level, stress in your life can lead to losing hope and increased negativity. The vicious circle of not having faith that things will get better is compounded by daily stress. It is as if an invisible human is saying “See, there is no reason for you to try so hard; it is all too hard anyway!” This, in turn, feeds the negativity and hopelessness, which leads to depression, which has a huge effect on our health.
So, How Do We Turn Back the Clock on Stress?
Our fight against stress is not one that we need to take with steel armor, arrows and a bow. The fight is more like the martial art of Aikido, which uses side steps to re-direct the opponent’s energy. If we side step stress and allow its force to “pass by” rather than through us, we protect our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Another way to reduce stress is to get rid of the clock and time. We must remove all instances of “to do lists” and the daunting clock that reminds us how little time we have to finish all of our impending chores and duties. We must enter the cosmos of our mind and literally slow down time. When I think about ways to reduce stress, I think about what Stephen Hawking says about slowing down time (and ultimately freeing our minds).
Hawking says: “Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free. Free to explore the universe and ask the big questions, such as: Is time travel possible? Can we open a portal to the past or find a shortcut to the future? Can we ultimately use the laws of nature to become masters of time itself?”
In the Psychology Today blog post, “Cortisol, Why the Stress Hormone is Public Enemy Number 1” Christopher Bergland explains that music can also relieve stress in our lives. Just listening to it can lower our cortisol levels, thus reducing the bad effects stress has on our life.
I invite you to use the Aikido “side-step” method to deal with your stress, as well as listening to music to help free your mind. Also, below are what I call the BREATHE steps to better deal with stress:
B Breathe
Use deep breathing exercises to reduce immediate stress and symptoms of anxiety and stress. Take one deep breath in, hold it for a count of 10, and then blow out the breath from your mouth. Repeat 2 to 3 times. Remember to use this throughout the day whenever needed.
R Rest
Pick one day a week to give yourself permission to take completely off from chores and work activities. If you cannot rest the entire day, take extended breaks from work, walk around the building, tell jokes to your cube or office mate, and actually leave work to go to lunch. Remember to take those Sunday naps! Even if you do not sleep, simply lying down and resting your body will help side-step built-up anxiety, tension, and stress.
E Energy!
Eat for energy, and be sure to have plenty of the right foods for your body. Remember that your body is your shield for stress. Fill it with the fuel that will keep your organs, cells, and brain satisfied and have enough stamina for the day. Drink water with electrolytes to refill your empty tank.
A Attitude
When was the last time you woke up smiling and were able to keep it on your face all day? The right attitude will reduce stress and actually help someone else who is also feeling stressed. Stress hates happiness. Happiness can bust the most stressful moments and activities. Share your passion for life with others in your family and work; smile and share your life philosophies about being positive. The more you keep it up, the less chance stress has of creeping into your life.
T Tai Chi
Tai Chi as it is a GREAT reducer of stress. It is a slow movement, Chinese martial art. According to the Mayo clinic, it is a gentle way to reduce stress. Most local gyms have Tai Chi classes. You can also get a DVD, and many local communities offer Tai Chi classes in a local park. Combine the soothing environment of nature with the low impact and inexpensive exercise!
H Help!
Know when you have reached your own glass ceiling. Stress often occurs in people who take on too many projects, have too many responsibilities and have way too many things on their to-do lists. The greatest gift you can give your future self is by getting your current self some help. This may be something as simple as buying pre-made healthy meals, instead of cooking. Or you can get help in cleaning your house, mowing the lawn or doing laundry. If you cannot corral a family member to help, or if you live alone consider a low cost monthly cleaning service for those hard to do jobs. You will be happy to have the freed up time, and your stress level will be reduced.
E Eat slowly!
Did you know just by chewing longer and eating slower at the table you can reduce your stress? When we eat fast, it is not good for our digestion, our waistline, and our stress levels. Enjoy each bite, and take your time at meals. If you are eating alone, savor the time away from activities. If you are eating with family or friends, enjoy their company and laughter and the shared meal. Eating slower can affect your whole lifestyle. Become a European eater (slow down the meal, increase the satiety). Better yet, listen to music while you eat!
In closing, always remember that you have the power to change anything in your life. The stressors that are creeping into your day can be averted and side stepped.
Activity to Test Your Progress:
Take a before and after stress photo to check how stress is affecting your outer health. Compare how you look in the before (stressful) photo and after (on vacation or after practicing BREATHE side-stepping). A picture IS worth a thousand words!
Resources for this Article:
- Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, published by Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, USA (1948)
- Stephen Hawking on slowing down time: From the Daily Galaxy, Great Discoveries Chanel: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/i-do-believe-in-time-travel-time-travel-to-the-future-time-flows-like-a-river-and-it-seems-as-if-each-of-us-is-carried-rele.html
- Verbal Aikido: https://myragolden.com/2012/11/12/verbal-aikido-a-strategy-for-handling-difficult-customers/
- Tai Chi: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/tai-chi/art-20045184
- Eat Slow, 5 Powerful Reasons to eat slow: http://zenhabits.net/5-powerful-reasons-to-eat-slower/
- Cortisol, Why the Stress Hormone is Public Enemy Number 1, Post by Christopher Bergland https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1
