Will Following Stress Reduction How-To's Without Success Actually Increase Stress?

Perhaps it is simply due to current financial climate alone, and our over exposure to its deterioration thanks to the media, that has tipped the scales in favour of a culture of apparently irrevocable gloom. Or maybe, the weather is to blame. It has been rather colder this year, than in past recent years. Everybody seems to be suffering from stress. Yes, stress: a buzz word that is fast losing its reputation as a mere medical catchall for feeling under the weather and mutating into a much more sinister and crippling complaint.
To say that we are stressed, due to losing touch with mother earth, is one of many explanations proffered. Such comments surrounding stress are mere speculation, of course and bring none of us any closer to the relief that we so widely crave. The stress of the rat race, it would seem, has gotten the better of us all. There are only a lucky few amongst us who are fortunate enough to be able to claim that they do not suffer from stress. Less say they can wake up to face a new day with a smile upon their face, stress free and a positive attitude. And even fewer still can say so with sincerity. These that do are met with a cocktail of cynicism, jealousy and distrust in equal measures, such that my unease only deepens. It all begs the question: are we too far gone, to achieve a stress free lifestyle or must we cut our losses and reduce the necessary stress we experience as much as possible?
A simplified search surrounding the topic of stress reduction using Google throws up some 18,900,000 results, the better part of which will no doubt be offering mediocre advice in the vein of sleep more, eat ‘more healthily’ and exercise. Verily, all of these approaches work towards reducing the level of stress we feel, but stress is something that we seem to be underestimating; stress is almost perceived as a state of mind that can be solved by thinking it away! It is viewed as pesky, a societal Taboo.
All animals exhibit stress. It is a means signifying that something is wrong mentally, akin to physical pain. Few online guides and how-to’s will dually address the nature of the underlying issue that is stress, in part because approaching the concept of stress in writing and dispelling miracle cures is hardly a good strategy to make friends. There has been much speculation, regarding the issue of stress. It is a phenomenon that seems to effect affluent countries and areas where citizens have time enough to sit around and think. This again, begs the question: how much of the problem of stress is due to our removal from nature? Or is the cause of stress more imagined? And consequently, is it going to be more difficult to eradicate?

If not that, then what exactly is it that causes us to suffer from stress?

As a whole, we have much less fallen out of harmony with the land and our bodies than waged chemical warfare upon this age-old balance. The chemicals that we use daily, without consideration have undoubtedly an effect upon our bodies physically – however the human body is remarkably resilient to such abuses. The issue lies more at heart, or rather more in the mind of the sufferers. Our expectations of life exceed the reality, and the consequence: mental stress, manifested in symptoms that affect both the body and mind, to devastating effect.
If you will permit me a small digression, I like to use the example the avocation of low fat high fat food in order to lose weight to better demonstrate my understanding of the causes of stress. If I want to lose weight (and who doesn’t?), although I am aware that by eating foods that are considered ‘unhealthy’, I am not going to achieve weight loss, that isn’t to say that I will not eat them. Logic is not a foolproof solution for craving sugar, after all. We are exposed to too many temptations and contradictions to our understanding of weight loss, such as lean people advertising ‘unhealthy’ products. Gimmicks such as low fat chocolate cake (low fat high fat foods are the ultimate oxymoron) only serve to confuse us whilst heightening our temptation. They say one thing, but mean another, proffering a compromise that isn’t a worldly possibility and causing us mental confusion i.e. stress.

So what exactly am I proposing?

Consequently I don’t propose that there is a miracle cure or step-by-step guide in order to reduce stress over the course of an evening – not at all. On the contrary, it is the nature of such claims that I have issue with. The promotion of such articles alleging to offer miracle cures, serve only to indulge our vulnerable and innate requirement to find comfort in the authority of those who “know better” and find an solution to our problems, stemming from childhood. Regardless of intention, it is harmful to expect miracles from the advice of others because following and learning by example when the outcome isn’t assured is dangerous. Just take a deep breath, remove yourself from the situations that you know will cause you stress as often as possible, and try to find a means of relief that works for you.