We Didn’t Even Have a Word for Stress
Before the 1930′s
By Troy Rampy, Editor, The Wellness Blog™
Okay, okay. I know it’s been a while since my last (it was actually also my
first) blog entry. Not a great way to start a blog or build a following. But
I have a legitimate excuse…no really! We moved. Moved the office, and at
the same time I also moved my home. And I’m here to say that most of the
horror stories you’ve heard about moving are actually true. It took me
several days to get back in my body.
But now we’re settled. Most of the boxes are unpacked. Most of the
lost/misplaced things have been found. And I finally have the time, and
energy, to write this current blog entry. So here we go…
When I tell people we produce educational programs, especially about
reducing stress, they almost ALWAYS say, “I need that”. And they’re
right…because we all need that.
We also all know, either consciously or sub-consciously, that the pace of
our lives has sped up and that our bodies and nervous systems are being
asked to do things they were never originally intended to do through much of
the evolutionary process.
But few of us realize that stress is a relatively modern dilemma. In fact,
most people don’t know there wasn’t even a word for it until Dr. Hans Selye
borrowed a term from engineering and physics in the 1930′s to describe this
phenomenon that he was seeing more and more. Imagine not having, or
needing(!), a word for something that is so ubiquitous today!
Dr. Selye was extremely prescient in forecasting that science would soon
find medical solutions to the outer world epidemics of his day, like
malaria, tuberculosis, polio, typhoid, etc. But he also noted that the
epidemics of the future would have more to do with a human being’s inner
experience, and our nervous system. And he was soooo right.
The good news is that reducing stress, not just managing it but actually
reducing it, is something we can all do. It isn’t even that difficult. But
it does require us to be more mindful and aware. Okay, so maybe that IS
asking a lot of some people. But if you’ve read this far, I trust that you
are well equipped, and motivated, to learn the basics and make the necessary
lifestyle changes that WILL reduce your stress.
And if you keep up with my blog, I’ll gladly share these with you. One of
the first things you’ll need to do is get in touch with your true values.
It’s not that hard to do and I’ll guide you through the process in my very
next blog entry.
Until then, take a deep breath and know that all is well. Even if you don’t
think it is.
