|
What is stress?
Chemically, it is
a condition that your body enters as the result of a message received
from your brain telling it to prepare to run or fight. The body reacts by preparing for that eventuality. The brain tells the adrenal glands
to send a rush of two hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) to the muscles
in preparation for them to respond to a fear or a threat.
It is the job of the
brain to protect the body. It accomplishes this by telling the noradrenaline
to redirect blood flow from lower priority areas of your body (like skin
or your abdomen) to the muscles to give you a "power boost."
At the same time the
brain is also telling the adrenaline to speed up your breathing to take
in more oxygen to feed the work being done on the muscles with the noradrenaline.
Unfortunately, when
you can't make a decision about how to react (fight or flight), these
two hormones are caught in limbo rushing around madly waiting for you
to decide what you want them to do. Since you aren't doing that, the only
choice they have is to cause vomiting, make you tremble, panic or maybe
even pass out.
Stress is actually a very
efficient process and has worked wonderfully for thousands of years. When
we were running across the plains barefoot with a spear in our hand bearing
down on supper, we needed this process generating stress to protect us. Indeed, the entire
system is just the result of the brain doing what it is supposed to do.
. . keep the body functioning and protect it.
We no longer chase the
wooly mammoth nor does our survival revolve around running away from a
rival tribe (well maybe just a little). The battles today are demanding
employers, uncontrollable traffic, annoying neighbors, partners, children
and oh yes, taxes!
Here's where the interesting
part of this analysis comes in. Even though our situation has changed,
the chemicals are still there along with the vehicle to drive them.
The system is very efficient
and works quite effectively. This is why you have stress. It is merely
a response to a perceived threat and the brain will set it in motion on
a subconscious level even at the slightest sensation of danger. In fact
it will DEMAND this action.
Since we now live in
an "enlightened" society, we are conditioned not to throw a
spear at the boss, strangle your spouse or set the neighbor's house afire.
What is needed is the
ability to change our programmed responses. We need to discern the difference
between real threats and our own internalized perceptions of danger. Sounds
pretty simple, huh?
Sure it does. Until
you're sitting in that freeway gridlock, half an hour late for the most
important career busting appointment of your life, knowing full well that
your blankety blank boss will turn the account over to that jerk in the
office and you'll never get the raise you were counting on when your son
starts college in the fall. . . . whew!
Here come the chemical
twins, adrenaline and noradrenaline ready to do battle with no battle
to go to. They're causing stress and rushing through your body and have got to attack something.
Your muscles aren't responding by running or fighting so they'll just
pick any old organ to attack instead. A good one is the heart.
Sometimes a dose of
the chemical twins is a good thing. After all, even though we are now
"civilized" there are still very real threats in the world.
Just take a look at the evening news or read about the latest "mugging"
in the newspaper.
So, here is the paradox.
You need the chemical twins to protect you from real danger but you don't
need them to cause illness, unhappiness and stress. The challenge is knowing
when to have them and you don't need them.
Logically you know that you don't need them under most normal situations
like: at work, at a party or when the kids are screaming in your ear.
So what can you do?
Some people turn to drugs or alcohol and others take out their frustration
on the people they care about the most. You can learn how to control the
twins. Let's do that now.
*******
If you wish to publish/reprint any article from this site, you must agree to
the following:
- Publish the entire article as it is with no changes.
- Include the FULL Resource box or SIG line at the end
of the article.
- Do not change the title or content of the article in
any way.
- Make all links so that they are Active/Linkable with
no syntax changes
|
