December 9, 2020
Stress is inevitable. But how you handle it is a choice! In the contentious, chaotic times, there is one thing we can all agree on — there is just too much stress! Before you decide to continue to just tough it out, ask yourself this: Who in your family, your community or your society benefits from one more over-tired, irritable, impatient, frustrated and over-stressed person just now? Anyone? Self-care is the act of mindfully tending to your own mental, physical and emotional well-being. Self-care is making it a priority to replenish your energy. This is not the same thing as being self-indulgent or selfish. In fact, self-care is an important part of caring for those around you. Care givers, parents, and anyone who helps or works with others must replenish their energies and maintain their own good health in order to continue to be there for others. Just as airlines urge you to get your own oxygen mask in place before you help others, self care ensures you can support those who need you most. Effects of Stress We tend to think "stress is bad", but it is actually more complicated than that. Stress is a survival trait. Stress can motivate you to study, to work harder. Sometimes, stress gives you that burst of energy you need to accomplish your goals. It powers your muscles to remove you from danger, like when you jump out of the way of an oncoming car. When we exercise, we intentionally add stress to our body to strengthen our muscles and endurance. But there are many forms of negative stress, too. Emotional stress that weighs you down, lingering for days, weeks or even months — had any of that lately? —is deeply damaging to the body, mind and spirit. Persistent emotional and mental stress has very physical effects. It weakens your immune system, raises your blood pressure and leads to fatigue, depression and anxiety. Unrelieved stress causes sleeplessness, which simply worsens all the other symptoms, creating a self-perpetuating feedback loop.