WHAT IS STRESS AFTER ALL? You might say "It is what it is", true, but to define it a bit further, stress is the end result of anything that makes you worry. That's it! It could be an embarrassing situation like when someone at my church left a sign on the door saying: "Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to the church secretary". Or like the note left on my wife's chart by her doctor who has more degrees than a thermometer: "She has experienced no shaking chills today, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night" Same doctor, same chart: "She feels numb from her toes down". Even happy occasions can turn stressful. Imagine a mother having to explain to her little daughter who's attending a wedding for the first time why the bride is dressed in white. "Because white is the color of happiness and today is the happiest day of her life" the mother explains. The little girl looks puzzled and asks: "So, why is the groom wearing black?".
You'll be glad to know that most worries are triggered by change, good or bad, temporary or permanent, real or perceived. Changes in our lives can generate tons of stress, even if only imagined or anticipated. Like the day an old girlfriend of mine said: "When we get married, I would like to share all your worries and be totally supportive". I said, "Darling, that's so sweet of you, but I don't have any worries." She added: "Well, that's because we aren't married yet."
Change is the very reason why decision making is the mother of all stresses. You know YOUR darn decision will produce a change, and you also know (consciously or not) that you can never be 100% sure things will turn out peachy. In other words, in this case it's the (uhhhhhh) unknown, and its unpredictable nature which causes stress flare-ups. That's why men always prepare for an uncertain future by going out and buying two cases of beer. Logically, there are times when the unknown factor can be thrown out the window, like in the case of a widow, for being the only woman who knows exactly where her husband is every night. One of the biggest changes in our lives is without question getting old, and watch it, because the first sign you're already old is when all your dreams about girls are reruns.
Worries can also come from pressures to perform like in sports. You're lucky if nobody has ever said to you: He is such a good loser... in fact that's all he ever does. The same goes for school pressures, which reminds me of my friend who is a music student. He knows every bar within 15 miles of the school grounds. Peer pressure is another good one, like when all your friends are married and the only person who ever asks you to get married is your mother. And let's not forget work. At my office last week due to the never-ending workload, the light at the end of the tunnel was turned off. Being discriminated upon is another source of pressure, and it can be for anything at all, if you're a man they say men and sperm have one thing in common: they both have one-in-a-million chance of becoming a human being. If you're a woman, then they say you have everything a man wants: muscles, a mustache, a beard... If you are not considered attractive they might say you have the perfect birth control device: your face. And it goes and on and on.
Now, what makes it interesting is the fact that no everyone reacts to the same changes the same way. Our body, mind, and soul are affected differently by similar circumstances. Like I don't understand my friend Irma, she can really get homesick but only when she is home. Ah... but that's going to be the subject of our next blog: the physical, mental, and psychological ramifications of experiencing excessive stress.
I'm going to end by leaving you (less stress out, I hope) with a unrelated business question to ponder on: Should crematoriums offer a discount for burn victims? Hell, yes!! Well, that's just me.
Thanks for visiting my Stress Relief site!
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