Paying Attention to Stress
Thursday, June 21st, 2012
‘Peace is like a sun that is always shining in your heart” (Buddhist saying)
Our personal energy, our inner sun is often obscured by the clouds of stress, out of reach due to a lack of skills and commitment to one’s self. Fortunately, as always, we have a choice.
Did you know that…?
- 75-90% of doctors’ visits are for stress related conditions.
- 1 out of every 3 Americans is sleep deprived.
- 200,000 car accidents per year are attributed to sleepiness.
- $13.9 billion/ year is spent on doctors’ visits and medication for insomnia.
- Exhaustion, overwhelm and low energy are common complaints.
- Anxiety and depression are on the rise.
- Panic, helplessness and hopelessness are more widespread.
- Work place violence and conflict have escalated.
- Relationship conflict is a pervasive problem.
These problems all reflect a lack of awareness regarding stress, its effect on mind and body and knowledge of healthy solutions
We are taught to be above it all, overlook, keep a strong front, and work harder, longer. We believe it will all go away, time will heal all wounds … “I will rest, relax, and get my life in balance, once this is over.”
To deny, minimize or ignore how we feel, what we need and what is happening within our minds and bodies is a common outcome of conditioning that teaches denial and adaptation to early warning signs of stress. Unfortunately this often means that the first realization that there is a problem is from a doctor’s office, emergency room or hospital bed!
The good news is that there is a lot we can learn at any stage in the stress cycle
that can help to heal and create true balance in our lives.
- There are different types of stress reactions with different requirements for resolution.
- Effective stress management requires methods that reduce, eliminate and transform symptoms.
- One size does not fit all…different people and different stresses require different tools.
More on this in the next post
