We're
living in very trying and difficult
times and things don't seem to be
getting any easier. Sometimes life
can seem terribly painful and unfair,
yet somehow we manage to struggle
on, day after day, hoping and praying
that things will soon get better.
But
day by day the world is becoming a
crazier and more uncertain place to
live in, not to mention stressful.
Nothing seems safe anymore. Millions
of people are in record levels of
debt. Many are losing their jobs,
their homes, their health and sometimes
even their sanity. Worry, depression
and anxiety seem to have become a
way of life for way too many people.
We
seem to have entered the Age of Anxiety.
In fact, in 2002, the cover of Time
magazine proclaimed this loud and
clear on one of their covers as the
featured story in that issue. The
constant stress and uncertainties
of living in the 21st century have
certainly taken their toll, and as
a result many of us seem to live a
life of constant fear and worry.
When the terrorist attacks happened
on September 11, this constant stress
and worry seemed to just be magnified.
In fact, many people even now four
years later report they are still
scared that something of that magnitude
could happen again – perhaps
closer to them.
Turn
on the news or open up a newspaper
and we are bombarded with disturbing
images and stories. We begin to wonder
if we are safe anywhere. In this,
the information age, never before
have we had so much access to so much
data.
The
economy is another stressor. Soaring
gas prices, outrageous housing costs,
even the cost of food has sent many
people to work in jobs that are unsatisfying
and tedious. They work these jobs
because they need a paycheck. Today,
it’s more important to bring
home the bacon rather than work in
a dream career.
Having
more women in the workplace adds to
the stress. So many women feel the
need to be everything to everyone
and that includes a paycheck earner,
house keeper, mom, wife, daughter,
and sibling. The only problem with
that is some women just don’t
make any time for themselves thus
contributing to their stress levels
being at an all-time high.
Even
children can feel the pressure of
stress and anxiety. Teenagers who
want to go to college find themselves
pushing themselves during their studies
to try and obtain scholarships so
they can attend schools that have
ever increasing tuition costs.
They
find themselves having to hold down
part-time jobs on top of all that
to earn money for extras that their
parents can no longer afford. Add
peer pressure into the mix and you
have a veritable pressure cooker!
Cell
phones, internet, palm pilots, blackberries,
i-pods – we are always on the
go and always reachable. We don’t
make time to relax and enjoy life
any more. Why not? We certainly should!
We
feel pressure to do these things because
we think we HAVE to, not because we
WANT to. All too often, it’s
difficult for people to just say “No”.
Not saying that one little word piles
up un-needed expectations and obligations
that make us feel anxious.
All
of us will experience situations that
may cause us to become stressed or
feel anxious. The reasons are too
many to note but can include, buying
a property, having guests stay over
(in-laws!), being bullied, exams,
looking after children, managing finances,
relationship issues, traveling etc.
Stress
is a ‘normal’ function
of everyday life. Only when it appears
to take over our lives does it then
become a problem.
Everyone
will have different reasons why a
situation causes them pressure. As
a rule it’s usually when we
don’t feel in control of a situation,
then we feel its grip tightening around
us causing us to feel worried or ‘stressed’.
If
stress is caused by us not feeling
in control of a situation, the answer
is to try and reverse this, and regain
that control. The good news is: YOU
CAN!
You
have everything inside you that you
need to overcome your stress and the
accompanying anxiety. The problem
is, often we don’t realize that
we are in control because we feel
so out of control at time. But the
tools are there, you just have to
use them.
Let’s
first look at the barriers we put
up that are preventing us from becoming
healthy and getting rid of our anxiety
and stress.
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