Stress and its consequences

Last week I read at least two articles in the newspapers that talked about the growth in the number of people who are suffering from born-out because of the amount of the stress in their day to day life. When I went to church last Sunday the service was based on the same subject. They talked  a lot about how people feel weary and about the risks of going into depression or even catching a stroke because of the stress.

Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger. But stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between stressors, which can lead to health problems.

However these days saying that I’m stressed has become a normal thing to say. We live in a world of many demands, immediacy, deadlines and difficulties. We feel pressured to do more and better, and  continuously outperform ourselves. And It is true that sometimes life demands a bit of sacrifice, but most of the time, we are the ones pushing for more in exchange for professional or personal gains.

I do not believe in coincidences and when I left the church I began to reflect on how much the things I had read and heard applied to me. I did not need much time. Three weeks ago, I spent three days with a terrible headache and with my shoulders and neck sore as a result of the stress I was experiencing before that. Although for me the stress was caused by pressure at work, for others it might have a different trigger.

It is important to know that sometimes it is better to do one thing at a time and well, than try to do several things at the same time and end up in bed with no energy at all to even make one thing. Therefore, It is important to know our limits, to listen to our body when it says no more. No one drives a broken car, knowingly that the damages he may cause can be irreparable.