There are various physical indicators that highlight the extent to which we are under stress. A certain degree of stress is normal as it motivates us to take action. It is when the stresses are chronic or we are having difficulty dealing with them, that it tends to become an issue. The last place where stress manifests is in our body, through illness or some disease. By the time this occurs, there have been warning “bells” that we have either not been aware of or ignored!
Stress levels are on the rise due to an increase in external demands on us as well as internal pressures to measure up to them. As a result there is an increase in physical as well as mental diseases.
Each of us also carries emotional baggage from our past that is triggered throughout life. Experiences earlier in our life are stored in our brain and neural networks. Our perception as a child of an experience will determine whether we saw the experience as positive or negative. Then when we face similar experiences in adult life, a stress response alike to what we went through earlier in life, is sparked off again.
Our inherent coping styles served us as children. They helped us cope and manage our way through our circumstances. As we move into adulthood we find they may no longer serve us. We then realise we need to find more constructive ways to respond to challenges. We empower ourselves when we become more aware of how we respond to stress factors in our life. We can make conscious choices to respond differently.
There is a direct relationship between our emotional reaction to situations and the physiological reactions in our body. Our body is wired to handle short periods of stress. But if we experience chronic stress then our immune system becomes seriously compromised and we are at risk of becoming ill.
Let us consider the case of a business executive: Mike says business is in his blood and that is what drives him. He is controlled, business-like and does not tolerate emotions. He always copes extremely well no matter what. He is very committed and always on to the next challenge.
Mike fits all the criteria for an A type personality: he is extremely driven, focussed and can be seen as hard and uncompromising at times. He is a highly respected business man. He had several heart attacks. His response: that is just the way it is. Being in business is what he loves. He ignored the repeated wake-up calls: his body was trying to tell him his life was out of balance! Only after a further heart attack did he get the message. He was extremely fortunate to have been given more than one chance.
In her book Awakening Intuition, Dr Mona Lisa Schultz, a medical intuitive, describes a case very similar to that of Mike. The very aspects that make a business executive highly successful in his work are the very factors that place him at risk. Often executives suppress emotions or hold resentment or hostility within themselves. There is no room for nurturing of themselves or others. There is often little joy or love in their life: they are too focussed and driven to achieve results.
It is useful to do a regular stress check with yourself. This will help you determine the extent to which you are moving toward the danger zone and placing yourself at risk for some physical or mental illness. Doing a daily check-in will enable you to find out timeously whether your life is out of balance. You will then be able to make wiser choices. Unless we make conscious decisions to manage our response to stress, we can find that we have already programmed ourselves to react from our “back up” or “reactive” mode!
Take a few minutes to see if you are already in this mode:
- Are you always irritable?
- Do you have a short fuse?
- Are you a poor listener?
- Are you quick to react to every situation you find yourself in?
- Do you speak very fast?
- Have you fallen into an activity trap and struggle to relax at home over weekends?
- Do you feel driven or pressurised the whole time?
- Are you overweight?
- Do you experience aches and pains?
- Has the joy disappeared from your life?
- Do you suffer from insomnia?
- Are you unable to switch your mind off work or worrying?
- Do you lack time for exercise?
- Are you living on unhealthy foods or drinking 5-8 cups of coffee or tea a day?
- Have you lost interest in being intimate with your partner?
- Are you sleeping for most of your weekend?
If you have answered yes to at least half of the questions, you are quite stressed. Pay attention to the warning signs your body is giving you. If you have answered yes to at least 10, then you are really stressed. Take definite action to bring greater balance into your life. Before your body gives you a drastic wake-up call.
Our bodies try very hard to attract our attention. The question is: do we take heed in time? In the greater scheme of life, is it more important to remain in a job that could cost you your life…..or to step away gracefully and enjoy the time you have with family, friends or doing what feeds your inner being?
If you are concerned about your overall well-being or that of your team, you may value some coaching sessions or a workshop on managing stress levels.