Is Stress Necessarily a bad thing?

Do you ever get up in a morning and think, I have a million things to do, and then just go go until you collapse, exhausted, in the evening?  And it repeats the next day, and the next, and at the end of the week, you ask yourself, where did the week go?  And then the month, and another year.  And you feel like all year long you're just running, trying to catch up with things that demand your attention. The stresses of every-day life gradually take their toll if we do not have the right attitude toward them. 

I have this book by Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters. It calls itself a definitive guide to more than 90 alternative therapies and complimentary treatment options for over 200 health problems. Per this book, the Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies, stress is not necessarily a bad thing. It is an unavoidable part of our lives.  "A life without any challenge, with too little to do and too much time, can be as great a source of negative stress as too much work and too many deadlines."  So many good things out of this book.  The excitement to get to the aroma of fresh bread will pull us out of bed in the morning, of watching a game with our favorite soccer team, or the rush as you prepare for an interview that will take you to the next level in your career, those are all positive stressors and keep us going. Stressors, from being held at gun point by an armed robber to the repeated jarring ring of the telephone, are on a very broad spectrum and our body's natural response to stress, the "fight or flight" response which triggers biochemical stress hormones to fight impending danger, can be taxed to dangerously high levels.  Nowadays, stressors are much more psychological, emotional and mental. This book says that rapid successive episodes of psychological tension such as moving from a traffic jam to a work confrontation can cause stress hormones to accumulate and damage the body. 

"In 1982, US psychologist Suzanne Kobasa's research found that the ability to remain fit and cheerful under stress was linked to commitment to self, job, family, and community, the acceptance of change as part of life, a feeling of control over life, and the belief that you can influence events." - (Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies, Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters, 1997 ed.)

Our attitude toward stress is key.  How we respond to stress, as optimists or as pessimists, makes a big difference. Luckily, we can choose to take a stance to change our attitudes toward stressors so that stress can become a more manageable, even positive, experience.  

I take myself, for instance, I have days where I think, "Good grief, if one more thing should happen, God help me..."  But I endeavor every day to make my full days balanced.  I have three wonderful kids and they are the spice of my day in the evenings.  I also make time for exercise and sports which I love.  To relax and enjoy a delicious meal while I watch an episode of a show I like.  Have a family outing after work or pause a moment to share a sassy detail with my hubby.  Call a family member who peps me up. Stop at intervals during my 12-hour work shift to chat with a colleague or two.  Attend a gathering and share core spiritual values with others.  Get up earlier than usual for a morning run in the crisp morning air. That is how I cope with my very full days. I make sure to interrupt the routine to destress with the things I enjoy.  

This Encyclopedia I am reading gives some helpful tips: 

• Arrive at work early enough to plan the day's tasks.
• Organize your day to avoid rushing.
• Become assertive: learn to say no so that you don't take on too much.
• Delegate: hand over jobs that other people can do.
• Prioritize tasks to make the most efficient use of time.
• Eat a light lunch, away from your place of work if possible.
• Avoid skipping meals and try to eat a balanced diet.
• Avoid working late and take a few quiet minutes alone after work.
• Make time for relaxation.
• Aim for 6-8 hours' sleep each night. 

So, I challenge you to examine how you are handling your own stressors, because it ultimately affects your health and quality of life. 

On a stressful day at work, I paused to catch a break

Shared this with a colleague and it made her day. Told her to remember to smile!

In my study group at nursing school, we had to pause and de-stress sometimes too!

Cancer - Join the Fight

Found this apt caption on the web

You may have heard the slogan - "Early Detection Saves Lives", or the one that says "Awareness is Power", or "Feel For Lumps, Save Your Bumps"; these are some of the popular slogans out there.  Recently I embarked on my chosen path - to further my education in health, specifically, Oncology, to join the brave and relentless fight against cancer worldwide. As I like to half jest when asked, I want to be on the team that finds a cure for cancer.  I want to kick that sucker in the rear!  As American Cancer Society, Cancer Health, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and numerous Cancer Centers around the world advocate, it is a comprehensive and integrated approach to health.  What does that mean?  It means it starts with making healthy life choices, how to stay healthy - (prevention), what screenings to do and what to look for (awareness and early detection).  And if the disease comes knocking, then beyond the treatment is the person, the whole person, and the quality of life that person ends up with.  To me, having been the mom of a 6yr old who was diagnosed and lived the next 3 years of his life feeling very differently from many kids his age, it was important not to focus so much on the treatment that we lost sight of the person, the whole person, and the emotional and psychological impact.

I am looking forward to getting quality education in cancer research, treatment and delivery of care, but equally importantly, to be involved in community education and awareness of life style choices as relates to cancer, education on different types of cancer and what to look for, screenings, and during and beyond treatment, support structures and programs available.  American Cancer Society has a wealth of information on the topic, including a tab called "Cancer A-Z" that gives you concise information about various types of cancer.

Every one of us has a personal experience or knows of someone dear who has been affected.  This is a fight that needs all hands on deck, starting with simple things like what we feed our children every day.  Whether we let ourselves or our family members get exposure to cigarettes or second-hand smoking, whether we are reminding our spouses, siblings, or parents to go schedule their screenings or take their annual physicals seriously.  There are a good number of things within our control.

Check out this information on the American Cancer Society website.