Stress and sleeplessness
Not too long ago even mentioning the word 'stress' resulted in a pat on the back and a remark similar to 'get over it'. People have never really taken stress as seriously as they should have. Things now seem to be changing though. Researcher's findings are being published and the internet has brought stress and sleep disorders to an audience of millions. Now people are finding it easier to openly talk about their problems related to stress in their lives and share experiences with fellow sufferers.
Stress was originally designed to help us be aware of predators like saber-toothed tigers and give our bodies a little push. Now there aren't any saber-toothed tigers. There are bosses instead, and wives and husbands and kids not doing well at school and getting into trouble and health insurance and...
The list of possible causes for stress is endless. When stress occurs the first victim is usually sleep. This is because stress releases adrenaline into our system and makes us anxious and the body ready for action. What we need to do is eliminate that stress from our lives. Ha! As easy as that! Obviously we cannot forget about our jobs or husbands or kids (as much as we'd like to), but what we can do is learn to control stress levels by pinpointing exactly what the problems are in our lives and learn to deal with them effectively.
A great way of finding out exactly what stresses us out is by keeping a diary. Once you have started getting into the routine of writing a diary it is quite a simple task to continue doing it. With only five minutes a at the end of the day it gives us an opportunity of putting thoughts and events into perspective and it also gives us a great insight into what the problems really are. A pattern begins to emerge from the chaos of our daily lives and a lot of people are surprised to learn things about themselves they had previously not known.
Another good exercise is to go to bed at night and mentally re-live all the events of the day backwards. Now this sounds easy but in actual fact is extremely difficult when you first begin. It takes a lot of practice and concentration but eventually the reward of organizing the day is well worth it.
Most experts in the field of stress agree that a certain amount of daily physical exercise is an essential part of managing stress. Optimally it should be something you enjoy doing and that is also sociable. Many top execs go to the gym not just to keep in shape but to relieve themselves of their stress. And the truth is it works. Obviously you should not get stressed out trying to find the time to exercise, which brings me on to another important part of controlling stress. Having an organized life in which there is no need to hurry may sound like a pipe dream but is in fact quite possible to accomplish. We have to put everything we do into perspective. Because image is so important in today's society we are living not for us but for other people. This is another great reason why everyone should be keeping and re-reading a diary.
