To die or not to: can it get any more stressed?
But…..what actually happens when we are stressed?
Let me tell you a little story. The story of the caveman, who feels responsible of his family. The caveman lives in nature (which we now think is peaceful) and follows the natural flow (as he doesn’t know how to affect it). One evening, the caveman looks around the cave and can’t find food. He is hungry, so is his wife and so are his children. He knows the time is there – again – the time for the hunt. He sharpens his spear, takes a deep breath, kisses his wife and kids goodbye, prays to the gods and off he is. Into the big dangerous world, where bears live. The same bears that make them survive. That is why he is looking for it. He wants to find a giant one, kill it off, and feed his family, let his wife create some nice clothes of its coat and maybe a cute little handbag as a special gesture.
Imagine the stress levels in this man: cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones are being produced, dictating his physical and emotional state.
He leaves behind his family – will he ever see them again?
He knows they are hungry and it is his job to feed them – the guilt is creeping in…..
He walks through the dense woods – who is waiting to attack him?
All his senses are on sharp – his digestion, immune system and thinking function are on hold….
It is the all or nothing. Then………………… he hears the bear………………………..then…………………….. he smells the bear…………………………. He prepares himself……………… all on sharp…………… the spear is ready…………………………… the bear presents himself…………………………….. and that is the last thing he ever did……………. The caveman works his spear between the eyes and after a little struggle, the bear drops dead. The caveman drags him home where everybody is cheering and happy and work for the party (preparing food (and clothes)) takes over. The hero has returned.
When the caveman arrives home, he thanks the gods, kisses his kids and wife, takes a deep breath, puts his spear away and starts chilling out. All is well. All is relaxed. All stress has disappeared. Well, it might feel like that, but it takes a little time for his system get rid of the stress hormones and to restore to normal digestion, immune systems working up to speed and his mental functions back to slow moving, deep contemplation.
And the caveman knows that his bear is big enough to last for about 2 months, so he has time to recuperate and get his energy levels up and ready for the next hunt.
What is the relevance of this story? The relevance is that, even though we feel light years away from the caveman, our system has the same response to stress. But where the caveman takes a rest to recover and restore, we continue hunting. No recovery time, no respite, no rebuilding of the system.
Every time we freak out about something – irrelevant if it life threatening or just the unexpected ring of the mobile – our system responds with putting our vital functions on hold. Just imagine what happens after a while…………..
Learning tools to change the response to stressors is vital for keeping you sane and healthy.
Check out the website to find some tips or book a FREE COACHING SESSION to discuss your stressors and take away at least 2 tips.
