What is stress?
The English word stress is derived from the Latin word Strictus, meaning "to be drawn tightly".
On the one hand, stress is "an essential and constant part of human life. It is the spur that drives us to achievement" and therefore the complete absence of stress would be a bad thing. On the other hand,acute and chronic stress prevents achievement and destroys lives. Certainly something to be avoided and fortunately easily treatable.
Stress is" RESISTANCE to what is..." be it physical, emotional or mental. For example, in the emotional area stress is created from unexpressed emotion.
Stress in the short term causes tension, depression and insomnia. Chronically, it causes hypertension, heart and kidney disease. All systems especially the immune system are affected by the chemical changes brought on by stress. Skin eruptions, loss of sex drive, grinding teeth, sweaty palms, increased heart rates, uneven or rapid breathing, diarrhoea, allergies, colds and 'flu… all may be a result of lowered immune response or generally lowered resistance to infection through stress.
A typical day is stressful though much depends on our attitude to circumstance. Much that happens in our life can't be changed but our emotional attitude always can be. Non-communication in the family is a typical stress, unresolved family issues like ‘who should do what’ in the home and neighbourhood disputes that go on and on, examinations, business presentations where your job may be on line, physical and emotional abuse, being outside your comfort zone, divorce and jail terms, all are stress situations that strongly affect your health.
It costs every country thousands of dollars per person in absenteeism, lost productivity and worker's compensation benefits. Stress causes accidents. It is important to be aware of what emotion we feel when we do things as accidents rarely happen when we are filled with love, joy and gratitude. Most mishaps occur when we are in a hurry, irritable, resentful or angry.
We are all familiar with the feeling of stress. It tightens our stomachs, quickens our breathing and races our heart beat. It can be the result of excitement but if stress is continued for too long, our reserves become exhausted. Stress is accepted as part of our lifestyle like burning ambition, a desire to be first, to be ‘top dog’, to succeed, to be ‘always ready’. However there is a price to pay if this becomes chronic.
Stress is obvious for those who fight injustice, for themselves or others, who try to change society instead of working on themselves first. Many are full of neurotic fears that cripple them for fitting into society: fear of crowds, of heights, of animals, of being alone or lonely, of growing older, of losing control. Stress can be caused by blaming others because that’s a no-win situation and requires counselling.
Stress raises our blood pressure and once chronic begins to undermine our health. Our hands sweat when excess adrenalin is forced through our systems. Used in an acute condition, it serves its purpose, but when the emotion is constant and perpetual, then stress works against us.
Workers reported in a survey that a range of ailments were associated with workplace pressures including headaches, indigestion and continual tiredness. In business today, stress is caused by insecurity in keeping in work, worry re increasing bank rates affecting household finances and the workload expected while business tighten their belts asking workers to work longer for less pay. Taxation is a real stress especially since the GST was introduced to a class of society untrained to handle financial matters. Many small businesses gave up because of this. Meeting deadlines is a monthly stress in many jobs like newspapers and magazines. Crisis situations…some love the adrenal rush others die from it. There are issues of control and power, of having a victim mentality, of being ignorant of time management, of suffering through lack of education, of not being able to self-discipline, of not having enough money, resources, driving through heavy traffic daily to and from work, the hassle of parking in a city where space is at a premium…these are all causes of modern stress.
High blood pressure and strokes are a common end when we refuse to address the issue of stress in our lives. At a certain point, stress kills.
How can I help?
Because of the multiple therapy approach which I use, a diagnosis of stress can be quite easily made. The patient relating me their symptoms, will often say straight out that they have trouble sleeping, feel up-tight all the time, are jumpy and irritable and know that something has changed. They speak in a hurried manner and it may be jerky and hard to utter words smoothly.
Behaviourally, the patient may be short tempered, irritable, or easily distracted, upset over trifles, have difficulty in concentration, in organising oneself or find making decisions difficult. They may develop a loss of appetite, or suddenly change their habits...eg taking up smoking or drinking alcohol to excess. They may have troubled sleeping patterns, be over-sensitive, be forgetful or notice difficulty in dealing with new situations. There may be a gain or loss of weight and become easily fatigued.
They don’t wish to go down the conventional allopathic pathways of sedatives and pain-killers. It is too easy to get hooked on legal drugs which is intelligent of them as the deaths of film stars are a grim reminder of what may happen going in that direction.
After a quick check of their blood pressure which is a story unto itself, the next modality I use to diagnose is pulse reading in acupuncture. You should never accept treatment from an acupuncturist who cannot read the 12 pulses in the wrists. Six pulses in each wrist tell where the energy of the body is and where it should be. We read the amount of chi energy in earth, water, metal, fire and wood. We expect to find an excess of energy in certain meridians and deficiencies in others. The ultimate work is to balance yin and yang energy.
This is also done by correcting dietary controls. Impurities need to be expelled out of various systems. So herbs and minerals supplements may become important. Each patient is an individual and must be assessed in this way.
As an osteopath, I must observe the structural integrity of the spine. Cramped and tense muscles need work to release the tightness in and up and down the spine especially where the muscles insert in the back of the head causing headaches and a feeling of tension as well as pain, right down to the insertion of the spinal muscles in the lower back and sacrum where nerves go through the buttocks and cause pain in the legs as well. Naturally any pelvic or/and spinal distortion must be addressed and treated. After gentle manipulation, if this is required, the patients will say, “Oh that feels good. I’m so much more relaxed.”
Mental stress caused by anger, resentment, fear, guilt, sadness, grief, lack of self esteem, and poor self- confidence, all combine to create stress and tension. My work over the last 20 years has been to address these emotional issues very successfully by counselling, using the amazing therapy of “Tapping” or Emotional Freedom Technique. I’ve also studied NET and now teach a personal development course that helps to resolve your own story of happiness and gives self-empowerment. Naturally about 15 hours of therapy is needed but well worth the effort.
Clinical Hypnotherapy is another skill that I use especially to relax people and correct insomnia. This therapy treats many conditions caused by stress and SEE’s ( Significant Emotional Events). It can help for weight conditions, pain and any illness that affects our subconscious. Intelligence has nothing to do with the ability to use hypnosis. If you can daydream, you can be given positive suggestions that aid your way back to health. It also helps raise your self esteem and develops self confidence. Well worth trying.
I teach Meditation as part of my Personal Development Seminars. This is an important technique to learn as it develops your serenity, your peace of mind and your control of your personal environment. Not as easy to learn as you think as many people say “they have tried it” and it didn’t work for them. There are a few important rules that as you master, you gain an enormous advantage over releasing stress. Done first with a teacher, then alone and making it a consistent daily therapy,you are on your way to good health.
