lifestyle-interventions

More About Stress

Why would we be writing another article about stress given that we already have decades of writings, contemplation and research about the topic? Well, we currently have a unique circumstance that has confronted the whole world with challenges in the form of social isolation, financial setbacks, loss of businesses, discouragement, increased suicidality, loneliness, confusion, uncertainty, and risk of contracting a lethal virus. To appreciate all of the inclusive challenges posed by multiple major simultaneous stressors, it is important to see the big picture; this would be from the vantage point of hungry children, parents without jobs, business owners who have lost their businesses, many who had one or more chronic illnesses before the onset of the acute, severe stressor and the stressed-out people who are now having thoughts of suicide.

Minimizing, Synergy, Piling On and Relativism

Some folks tend to minimize the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, reasoning that it is nothing more than a variant of the flu that we have a lot of experience with. But, often, 1 + 1 equals 3, meaning that often times we have a synergistic effect when we add another component to an already existing situation; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and I believe that in our current situation, that is the case. This sort of relativistic thinking that everything is of the same significance and/or potency reminds me of the enduring challenge we have had with tobacco use. This incredibly damaging addiction, cigarette smoking, is behind us. Still, approximately 7% of the population continues this addictive habit, but now we have normalized cannabis consumption and have added vaping to the list of destructive, health-compromising behaviors. As it turns out, vaping can be a lethal behavior. The point here is that relativism dilutes the value of absolutes and is at the core of legitimizing many untoward behaviors. It can lead us to looking at challenges as if there is no additive component to additional disasters.

Actually, this situation is even a bit more complex than that, at least here in Panama City Florida. We are contending with multiple issues, that can set the stage for significant chronic stress reactions:

·       The eminent onset of Hurricane season on 1 June, 2020

·       The constant reminder of Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 that was a category 5 storm with spin off tornadoes and 161 MPH winds; there was damage or destruction of most of the trees in Bay County, Florida. This has dramatically changed the distinct, highly desirable atmosphere in the area.

·       Also, from Hurricane Michael: there is ongoing construction of many businesses and residences, even 1 1/2 years later. Approximately 80% of all of the residential roofs in our  county  needed to be replaced.

·       The Coronavirus that has necessitated significant changes in daily routines, social distancing, wearing of masks, closure of businesses, closure of churches, and financial setbacks from the loss of jobs. Being isolated to our homes is a huge issue because affiliation is a core physical and psycho-emotional ingredient of healthy living.

·       Worry, anxiety and discouragement are pending issues

·       On a broader scale, other mental health issues like depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicidality are ongoing concerns.

There are spiritual, legal, moral and practical aspects to this whole adaptation to the lethality of the pandemic virus. We are especially concerned about that large group of people who already have a chronic illness and possibly immune system compromise, as these issues increase the risk of contracting the virus.  An interesting and important aspect of this social distancing and not being able to freely move about, is the likelihood of familial and social group fragmentation; is this a contribution to isolation and loneliness?

We are concerned about the hungry children and families who cannot pay their bills. This particular group requires the aggressive outreach, generous financial help and meticulous follow-up to ensure that these children are adequately cared for. The health and integrity of our healthcare providers is a very important issue also and we need to ensure that all steps are taken to limit their vulnerability to adverse stress reactions including physical ills.

Those who are caretakers, a group who are vulnerable to any number of stress-related illnesses and less than optimal self-care, are a unique and important group.

The increased use of communication platforms like Zoom meetings provide much needed avenues for reckoning with business issues, mental health issues, disease prevention, church-related activities, and numerous other important issue areas. This technology fills in the communication gap posed by social distancing, wearing masks and being physically restricted. Let’s be clear that wearing masks interferes with communication and spontaneity in many situations; it inhibits interpretation of important nonverbal communication and is probably a contribution to isolation.

Stress-Related Conditions

Physical illness that can be related to chronic stress and related to excess cortisol secretion include:

·       11 of the distinct bodily systems are negatively impacted by chronic stress

·       Impaired cognitive performance

·       Impaired thyroid function

·       Blood sugar imbalance

·       Decrease in bone density

·       Sleep problems

·       Increased blood pressure

·       Compromised immune function

·       Increased abdominal fat

·       Many other signs and symptoms

Recommendations

My recommendations for limiting the toxic effects of these multiple stressors include:

·       Get adequate physical exercise; brisk walking is great. Also, upper body strength building is important and can be accomplished with two dumbbells.

·        Be sure to consume an abundance of whole plant-based foods daily;  we would recommend 5 to 8 servings daily. Keep in mind that a serving is about one cup, or in the case of some cooked foods can be as little as ½ cup. These plant foods contain up to 100,000 healing nutrients that bolster the efficiency and health of our immune system. They insulate us from chronic disease. During times like these we need to guard against overeating; we recommend eating until satisfied, not full. Also, plant foods are the only food sources for dietary fiber that is critical for digestive health, cholesterol control, and blood sugar issues.

·       Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

·       Get adequate sunshine

·       Help others whenever possible; this would include encouraging others

·       Engage in fun activities like singing, dancing, and affiliating with lighthearted people

·       Take time to relax when feeling stressed; spend time in nature, read to your children, listen to music, especially some of the complex sounds from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Vivaldi.

·       Pray often

·       If you are feeling frequently discouraged, depressed, or having suicidal thoughts, seek mental health care.

·       Use mindfulness meditation to help keep excess negative stress in check

·       Follow the well-publicized self-care initiatives having to do with countering this pandemic virus

·       Count your blessings and be grateful

·       Laugh and have fun and surround yourself with optimistic people

·       Guard against risk-taking behaviors, especially when operating motor vehicles and consuming potentially harmful foods and/or alcohol

·       Limit exposure to dramatic, negative news that over time, can negatively affect our mood.

·       As we consider being stressed out, it is ineresting to consider something called our Flow Channel. Flow is a desirable adaptation to stress that includes a highly focused mental state, being fully absorbed, even losing track of time, being in the zone, and resiliency in general. Optimal focus and performance that is characteristic of Flow can be compromised by either too much or not enough stress and by  inadequate skills to follow through with healthy lifestyle change. An inadequate level of challenge can result in boredom or anxiety.

·       We must affirm and legitimize our realistic concerns and challenges; our physical and emotional responses are important and are an integral  response to challenge. Minimizing the importance of our feelings and denying appropriate emotional responses can increase the potency of the challenges.

·       And finally, seek self-efficacy which has to do with having the skills and motivation to succeed in primary endeavors. Self-efficacy helps us to build self-confidence as we seek optimal performance.

So, let us remember that no one is immune from the negative aspects of stress. We continue to have about three quarters of all Primary Care doctor’s visits associated with chronic negative stress. And finally, I hope that we can appreciate the additive effect of multiple epidemic and pandemic catastrophic environmental events that build on one another and create a multiplying, synergistic affect.

References

Frates, Beth; Bonnet, Jonathan; Joseph, Richard; Peterson, James: ‘lifestyle medicine handbook: An introduction to the power of healthy habits,’ Healthy learning, 2019.

Hallowell, Edward: ‘Crazy busy: overstretched, overbooked, and about to snap!’ Ballantine Books. 2006.

Ornish, Dean and Ornish, Anne: ‘UnDo It,’ Ballantine books, 2019.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Health, inertia, and information: why are we sick?’Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2018 by William A. Zahler.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Synergy and the dynamics of lifestyle change,’ Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2019 by William A. Zahler.

3 John 2

William Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Website & Blog: lifestyle – interventions.com

YouTube: William Zahler

May 27, 2020