Rejecting stress
We all understand the term stress; it’s defined by tension, pressure, yet I feel it’s become an overused term that loses some of its seriousness as a result. In conversation friends will cry, ‘I’m so stressed!’ and we know what they mean, but those people who are genuinely stressed will rarely give up the fact so readily.
What grates on me the most is that these days stress is viewed as an acceptable part of modern life. Of course, life will always involve some stress; big life events like death, marriage, birth, moving house and so on.
Life events aside, our capitalist western culture has led us to believe that if you’re not feeling some sort of stress then are you really doing anything, are you really going anywhere? A high-pressured job is seen as the aim because we equate it with a person’s importance, their value.
When I was younger, I bought into that rubbish. I used to think that feeling stressed was just part of being young and getting on the career ladder. I’d forgo sleep in favour of long work hours, sometimes taking work home with me. I used to say ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’.
Surely feeling stressed was just part of being young and getting on the career ladder? I’d forgo sleep in favour of long work hours, sometimes taking work home with me.
I’d put myself through a punishing work week that involved waking up at 4.30am to commute to the office and not get home until 7.30pm. During winter months, I’d leave my flat in the dark and arrive home in the dark, only to have two hours before I needed to go to sleep and do it all over again!
Until I started to fall ill with every cold and ailment that was doing the rounds at the office, it’s hard to believe I didn’t realise the impact my lifestyle on my body. But in our 24-hour culture, who is listening to their body? I wasn’t!
There’s no shortage of research that tells us that ongoing and long-term stress is incredibly bad for us and can lead to numerous scary diseases.
Our immune system often ends up compromised, too busy dealing with the imminent danger and using our in-built ‘fight or flight’ alarm system. We struggle to sleep because our mind is active when at rest. Maybe we neglect our eating habits and grab junk food on the go too.
I’ve spent the past ten years working to undo harmful habits, to unlearn years of conditioning. What I’ve learned goes beyond one blog post.
There’s no simple way to avoid excessive stress in your life because stress levels vary from person to person, however there’s more that you can control than you think. The basic choices of when and what you eat, your bedtime routine, and your boundaries.
What I can say is that I’ve learned what I won’t compromise on:
I’ve said no to long work commutes despite the offer of a better wage.
I insist on eating 3 proper meals each day.
I avoid caffeine and fizzy drinks.
My sleep is sacrosanct.
I refuse to be a busy fool and will take breaks at work when I need them.
If I’ve had a meeting-heavy week at work, I make sure that I take time to decompress and relax after work.
I’ve learned to care less about what people think of me.
I won’t punish myself as a means of motivation for reaching any goal.
I always take my full quota of annual leave.
I’d love to know how you protect yourself from stress in your life – feel free to leave a comment below!
Image credit: "Acute Stress Disorder" by schnappischnap is licensed under CC BY 2.0