Here we are! Easter celebrations are upon us, family get togethers and events fill our calendars yet again. For many of us up here in the Northern Rivers it means that Summer is over and the winds from the East are subsiding. The weather is cooling, and we have to start looking for our woolen jumpers.
Easter seldom gets out of control like Christmas or New Years and excess is curbed for the most part, but not excluded. Sugar filled rabbit holes are everywhere at Easter.
With all the family events there will be some stress, stress of getting there, stress of who will come, stress about having enough time!
Stress is the topic for this month from our Vitalis Library and is a complex subject that often gets blamed for everything from the French revolution to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Described as a modern-day epidemic. Experts say that when we encounter a stressful situation in our daily lives, our natural ‘fight or flight’ reaction kicks in automatically, flooding our bodies with adrenaline to allow us to cope with the threat.
That, even so today, we don’t need to face down a predator or escape an enemy, we still have to cope with the same stress response.
I think the modern person does not respond in the same way as our prehistoric ancestors did to what faces us. I believe for the most part, the kind of stress we have today is not at these extreme levels. This is because our rational minds can differentiate between a Lion eating us and being late for a diner date.
Not all stress is bad, in fact stress often motivates us to complete projects and the sensation of relief and achievement after the completion of a major project floods our bodies with happy chemicals counter acting the effects of the stressful chemicals.
Just like there are healthy levels of contempt, there are healthy levels of stress. Levels of activity that stress the body physically in order to build muscle are considered good. I believe as people we need to know where the line is regarding healthy and unhealthy levels of stress.
In mechanical terms Stress is one of the necessary components of any structure. Without Stress a building would collapse.
In my clinic I often see patients that are so used to stress they don’t even know that they are stressed. Like passing cars that we stop hearing because we are used to the noise, stress seems to add up and continue on constant low levels that are doing us harm.
On the other hand, I also have patients that are very tightly wound. From the outside I see them as being in a constant state of stress, but many times they are simply not stressed. This observable tension is who they are, like hummingbirds they keep moving through their day both happy and prosperous.
Therefore, stress and the way it affects people is as individual as personality.
So, while you are reading the articles in this month’s Vitalis Library, consider your personal circumstance. Because not all stress is bad. Identify both healthy and unhealthy stress and how it applies to you.
Happy Easter
