Stress Management

This blog from guest writer Jodi Geline.

Put on your archaeologist hat and let's DIG into what is causing you STRESS.

You can unearth and discover ways to eliminate some stress and leave behind those old habits where they belong...buried in the dirt!

Archaeologists know their history. Let's examine the history of stress.

Who is the father of stress? I always thought it was my father, but it turns out Hans Selye is the well-known "father of stress" and in 1926 he introduced the term "stress" to the world of medicine.

In 1936, Hans Selye published his first paper on his study of the biological basis of stress and it received world-wide attention. In his study, Selye induced stress in rats in a variety of ways, including exposure to toxic chemicals, exposure to extreme temperatures, and other physical extremes such as making the rats run on a revolving treadmill to the point of exhaustion. He observed enlargement of the adrenal glands, gastrointestinal ulcers and a decreased immune system. This adaptive way to ward off stress could progress into illness and if excessive, could damage the body. His study was the first indication that stress can be detrimental to the body. Hans Selye summarized stress as this, "Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older."

Now, where is your stress buried?

60% of our working and playing hours are spent under stress!

Let's examine the typical day for many people...

· "What's that noise? UGH, it's my alarm going off...time to get up!"

· Wake up call #1 for your kid(s) and/or spouse.

· Leap into the shower..."Why does it take so long for the water to get warm!"

· Wake up call #2 for your kid(s) and/or spouse. "I'm serious, you need to get up and get moving!"

· "What should I wear? Nope, that doesn't fit right. No, I don't like this. Hey, I know...Drats, it's in the wash!"

· You get the kids up, make them breakfast and rush them out the door.

· You grab your coffee and spill it on your way out the door or the dog pees on the carpet and you have to clean it.

· *BEEP* "Oh no! I need gas!"

· *HONK HONK* "Can't you go faster?" You sit in rush hour traffic.

· You finally make it to work and you can't find a good parking space.

· You walk into your office and the phone is ringing off the hook and your boss wants to see you.

· Time constraints.

· Deadlines.

This is just your morning! Before 10:00 a.m., you've already been under a lot of stress and pressure!

What will the rest of the day be like??? Probably something like this...

· 8 hours of work related stress.

· Rushing from work to pick your child from school/daycare.

· After school activities?

· "Oh, I've got to feed my family!" Cook or grab some take-out food.

· Gobble up dinner.

· Help with homework.

· Household chores, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc...

· Check work email from home.

· Smooch your kid(s) and/or spouse good night and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Let's be honest...it looks nice and organized here, but it feels much more like this...

*BEEP BEEP* "UGH...time to get up!" "Time to get up." "YIKES the water is freezing!" Seriously, it's time to get up and get moving!" "Nope, that doesn't fit right. No, I don't like this. This looks awful. Hey, I know...Drats, it's in the wash!" "Here's your breakfast. Don't forget your lunch and backpack. Hurry, you'll be late!" "Okay, I've got my coffee, piece of toast and briefcase. Oh no, just my luck...I've spilled my coffee." (Run to kitchen grab paper towel and cleaner). "Shoot! I need gas!"*HONK HONK* "Can't you go faster; I'll be late for work!" "Of course, no decent parking spots, I'll have to park in the back and I'm already 5 minutes late." You walk into your office and the phone is ringing off the hook and your boss wants to see you. Time constraints and deadlines are looming like a dark storm cloud and you get to look forward to this for your entire work day. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to finish up some last minute work." "I forgot you had soccer/band practice, etc. It's where? I've got to get you where, by when?" "Look at the time, I better pick up some dinner, we'll eat it on the run!" *GULP!* "How many algebra problems do you have?" "Yes, I'll help you just let me throw in a load of laundry and do the dishes quick." "I better check my work email I was expecting a response and I need to get that report finished because I need it for the meeting first thing tomorrow morning." *Smooch* "Good night, honey." (Collapse in a heap onto the bed and try to sleep).

WHEW! I'm exhausted thinking about it. You may simply just think of this as your typical day and yeah, you know you are stressed out, but "that's the way life is."

You've just discovered a treasure and you don't realize it. You've uncovered a STRESS MYTH. You do not have to live your life stressed out!

Let's think about this again...

60% of our working and playing hours are spent under stress!

Under adverse conditions this raises to 80-90%!

Stress is a major contributing factor in 100 percent of disease; no one is immune.

What the mind harbors, the body manifests in some way. In other words, your daily stresses can cause physical illnesses in your body.

We all know what stress is because we all have it, but it affects us all differently; what is stressful to you may not be stressful to others.

Loosen your jaw, let down your hair and try to laugh a little. Find the humor in life. Life is fun. You just may not know it yet!

Of course, we at Sage Meditation believe that meditation is a way to relieve stress.

Thank you for reading,

Jay

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