What is stress anyway?
I thought it would be best if I started this blog by defining stress. If you think about it there are many different definitions of stress. Just think about it for a second. The word stress can be applied in many different situations. The three that jump quickly to mind are physics, metallurgy, and health. Of course on this blog we will be using the definition that addresses health.
Even when you narrow it down to Human Health there are many ways to define stress. This is because stress effects each persons body in a unique way. There are so many things that can be construed as being a catalyst for stress, and again, this all depends on how you as an individual reacts to those catalysts.
So the short definition for stress almost cries out to be broken up into two pieces.
1. External events that have the ability to cause a negative reaction in a human body.
2. The Effects those external events have on your body.
It is a cause and effect type situation that when combined form the definition of stress which I will use in this context.
In my life it refers to the things that just grate at me throughout the day, and the way my body reacts to those things. Sometimes those things are big things, and have a a huge effect over a short amount of time. Sometimes they are just little things that build up throughout the day. Many times, for me, it is a combination of the two.
A good example of that is this very weekend.
Here in the States, we just had a holiday (Thanksgiving) long weekend. I ended up taking the whole family down the coast to my mom’s house. For those of you who didn’t read the About page, I have three kids and a wife.
When we got there my mother broke the news that my sister had ended up in the hospital because of a sharp pain she had in her chest. That news took my stress level and pushed it up a couple notches. She is OK now, but this understandably toned down the holiday mood until she got out of the hospital, and joined us that next day for dinner. On Friday morning we all loaded back up into the van and hurried back to Jacksonville. The traffic was horrible. Lots of jerks on the road cutting each other off, and rushing into your blind spots. You know that kind of driver. We have all experienced them.
We always hurry back because of the really cool fire works show that the city puts on every year at this time. The kids love it, and it always is a really festive start to our holiday season. The only stressful thing about this fireworks show is getting in and getting out.
Now I must interject here, and inform you that I am somewhat of a worrysome driver. I can drive a car really well, or so I have been told, but I am bad with directions. Even though I know exactly where I was going, and exactly how to get there, and exactly where to park, and exactly what we needed, I still stress over getting there. I can’t help it.
We got there, and I could just feel it in the back of my neck. My stress level was pretty high. The night ended OK for the kids, but I ended up picking a fight with my wife. The night turned out to be a pretty tense one. Looking back on it now, I can understand why I was so tense. After all that worry over my sister, the driving, the traffic, the kids, and then the two hour wait. I was fit to burst.
What do you do during a situation like that. I can tell you that I came home and relaxed and had a beer. Just one. It relaxed me. My wife out the kids to bed, and let me chill out. After 17 years she knows me the best.
After the beer, I started my breathing techniques. That helped put me to bed. In the past I would have continued the fight all the way till the next day, but I have learned some pretty good coping techniques for situations.
I will go more into that tomorrow.
For now- all you need to understand is that stress can impact your life in a very negative fashion, and I am committed to figuring out the best ways to combat it on a daily basis.