It is a matter of LIFE AND DEATH! or is it?
Stress…..Anxiety…..Nervousness…..How do these things REALLY affect your life?
Your body is designed to physically survive in the harshest of environments. We are made to adapt and learn and that is what makes us able to live in such diverse climates around the world. It is an amazing ability that has allowed humans to survive global disasters and even an ice age.
On a primal level the brain is constantly monitoring for threats and danger. Then it reacts by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenalin. These hormones are meant to fire when you are in a threatening situation and need extra energy for immediate action. In short it allows your body to perform at a higher level during times of danger.
In modern life there are very few actual threats to our lives on a daily basis. We don’t see many tigers who want to eat us when driving to work. We don’t hunt for our food. We are rarely out in the wilderness where there are real dangers to our safety. Instead we go to the store and get food, clothing and gadgets than make our lives incredibly easy.
What we think of as threats today are not what our bodies were designed for. What we were not designed for is cell phones, constant negative input from 24 hour news, daily financial pressures, traffic or any of the other 100 things a day that trigger a very old and reliable system that is running inside our brains.
The result is that we have an over sensitized survival system that cannot tell the difference between the stress of a tiger wanting to eat you and the stress of meeting a deadline or being late on a payment.
A couple of things happen when you are constantly under these levels of stress. One is that your brain stops thinking. The part of your brain that is made for solving problems and making good decisions is overwhelmed by emotion. Emotions use up a lot of energy in your brain and suppress your ability to perform. While this is a good thing when running from a tiger who wants to make you his latest Happy Meal, it is not very good for daily living and decision making. You don’t want to waste a lot of time thinking when you are getting pounced on by a tiger. You want to react quickly. This is why the brain bypasses the thinking and reasoning part of the brain during these times.
The result is that many of us end up living a life of reacting to things without making the best choices. We jump from one situation to another without thinking too much. The result is that we end up not having the lives we could have.
Imagine this. Millions of time a day somewhere there is a guy who wants to talk to a girl… or a girl wanting to talk to a guy. The closer they get to actually doing so the higher their emotions. The higher the emotions the less ability they have to think clearly. They become anxious and nervous and then… their mind goes blank. They say something really stupid or they run away and avoid the situation altogether. Millions of times a day someone wants to ask for a raise, talk to their boss, speak in public, go learn a new skill but their brain treats all of these as if they are life and death decisions.
Then their world gets smaller and they get even more sensitive and it takes less and less to trigger the survival mechanism in the brain when there is no real threat.
When your mind believes there is a constant threat… even at low levels… it can have a negative effect on how your brain function and even how your body and immune system perform. Things like the digestive system, reproductive system and even the growth process can be affected.
What is the answer to all of this?
There is no one answer. The first step is to realize what is happening. Then it could be as simple as making sure you take the time to allow yourself to relax. Change your habits. Personally I don’t even watch the news anymore. I used to be a news junkie. In the car it was on the radio. At home the TV was always on a news channel.
I have made time for myself and have reasonable expectations to what I can do at any time. I don’t try to even multi task because studies have shown it does not really work. Do one thing. Do it well. Finish it. Do the next thing.
Realize that if you don’t get to the dry cleaners that you will not die. If your kids miss soccer practice that their lives will not be irreparably damaged. If that guy or girl rejects you that your head will not actually fall off.
I realized that I don’t have to have stuff. I already have stuff and my stuff is just fine. I don’t need bigger stuff. I don’t need newer stuff. I don’t need stuff that can do more stuff. I see more people buying stuff because it makes them feel successful, happy or just fit in with other people who buy stuff.
Finally, nothing is more important than my health. If I am sick, fat, weak or injured that is my top priority. Without health nothing else will matter. That means get OUT of the house. Get off of the computer. Actually walk somewhere. Take your family to the park and leave the phones in the car or at home.
Learn to relax. It is the best advice I think I can give you today. You will be amazed at how your life changes by following a few easy suggestions.