Culture and Stress in Modern-Day America

As I gather information for this paper, the entire world is in the grips of a pandemic involving the coronavirus; as a spin-off of this specific source of stress we have a very dramatic turndown in the stock market that is now in bear market territory, a barely believable transition from a wild melt up in the market in recent months. So, we have two simultaneous stressors that challenge our emotional stability and resilience.

We are gathering considerable information in the form of solid science that adds to the productive understanding of lifestyle factors that contribute to our positive health and our ability to cope with stressful circumstances. As part of this we are asked to negotiate a huge amount of information; this includes copious amounts of misinformation, exaggeration, out-right lying and nonstop hysteria; this tends to darken our mood states and raise our blood pressure. So, if your daily life is an adrenaline-fueled, hectic experience, full of noise, deadlines, bills to pay, intrusive advertising and messages, you are likely in a state of constant hormonal arousal that can cause damage to your body.

Practiced in combination with optimal nutrition, exercise, emotional support, and stress reduction has a powerful impact that has been proven to stop and undo a wide variety of chronic diseases.

 

So, why are we continuing to generate more information about stress?

·     Well, it appears to be true that a very high percentage of all primary care clinic patient contacts have to do with stress-related issues. It follows that there continues to be a huge amount of unhealthy lifestyle practices.

·     There are tremendous benefits to resolving chronic stress -related issues including: better sleep, normalizing blood pressure, healthier mood states, a better sense of well-being and contentment, less interpersonal conflict, better weight control, enhanced work performance, a healthier immune system, less over eating, and increased telomere length. Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes and the longer they are the healthier you are. Decreasing toxic stress responses helps to lengthen telomeres. Also, getting our stress under control can provide better concentration, better memory & can help us avoid brain fog and confusion.

So, what are the things we can do to prevent or at least minimize toxic stress

·     Get 7 to 9 hours of sound sleep nightly

·     Spend more time in nature

·     Get regular exercise 5 to 6 days a week; brisk walking is great

·     Surround yourself with encouraging, pleasant, optimistic people, your support system

·     Avoid loneliness

·     Put limits on multitasking

·     Simplify your life when possible

·     Negativistic thinking hurts us.

·     Too much worry is risky

· Limit exposure to negative popular media including the Internet

·     Be a responsible money manager

·     Be a sharing and caring marital partner and parent

·     Take very good care of your body, mind and spirit

·     Help others by encouraging them and assisting them when you can

·     Avoid unnecessary risk-taking

·     Eat nutritious plant-based foods that are not processed; consume 6 to 7 servings a day of recipes that contain fruit including berries, whole grains, beans, green leafy vegetables, garlic and onions, nuts and seeds, various multicolored vegetables, and etc. Chia seeds may assist in having less anxiety. Avocados are high in B vitamins and may help in decreasing depression and anxiety. Green tea is a wonderful, super healthy drink. Beans contain some B vitamins also and may assist in lessening fatigue.

·     Regularly practice some sort of meditation.

·     Laughter is great…  it tends to dissolve tension.

Both acute and chronic stress responses are important; an acute stressor might be a temporary financial situations that will resolve in a month or two; chronic stress tends to be more challenging … things like being a caretaker for a severely handicapped child or living with chronic physical pain…

Stress-related symptoms and medical issues may include:

·     Sleeplessness

·     Elevated blood pressure

·     Weakened immunity

·     Feeling overwhelmed

·     Interpersonal conflicts

·Predisposition to a multitude of health problems including Type 2 Diabetes , irritable bowel syndrome, tension headaches, clinical depression, and infertility.

·Dysbiosis which is an imbalance in the gut bacteria

·     Weight gain or weight loss

·     Craving for foods containing fat, salt and sugar

·   We have also learned that chronic stress may be a factor in breast cancer cell growth

·     Abdominal fat accumulation

So, optimal self-care and being your own best healthcare advocate are two of the most powerful things we can do to increase longevity and to increase our health span. We wish you many successful small incremental positive steps forward or one huge positive step forward, which ever you like!

William A. Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Web: lifestyle-interventions.com

YT Channel: William Zahler

Email: wazahler@gmail.com

March 13, 2020