Sunday, July 8, 2012

Anxiety and Stress

I'm not sure about this idea, so let me work on it here.

1. Anxiety and Stress exist.

2. Some percentage of anxiety and stress are caused by the existence of anxiety and stress.  As in, without the idea that "anxiety and stress are wrong and I shouldn't be experiecing it/them," we would experience less anxiety stress.

3.  Not all anxiety and stress are the product of shame that we are incorrect and wrong or somehow misplaced.

4.  Some anxiety and stress is part of everyday life.  Waiting in line can be terribly anxiety-producing, if cut the wrong way.  Standing next to a stranger.  Etc.

5.  The way to cut anxiety and stress combines exercise, time, and lack of stimulants (i.e. caffeine).

6.  Long term psychoanalytic type stress relievers (major realizations that all stress was the cause of childhood abuse, for instance), may help, and provide some momentary relief, but I don't think they are effective managers of stress.

7.  Letting go of the need to get rid of stress helps me  manage my stress.  I expect stress to exist and I see it as outside of my core identity, even though it does in fact make up a lot of who I am.

8.  Alcohol gets rid of stress by making us effectively delusional.  The stress comes out in different uglier ways.

9.  Stress can be dealt with absent major release-type activities like breaking things and yelling at those close to us.

10.  Religion is not needed, but some sense of self and community is needed.

2 comments:

Mrs D said...

Really good for me this, again. I do think I need to just accept that stress is a part of life and feeling it isn't a failure. Managing it and keeping a lid on it's effects is what I need to work on, rather than eliminating it completely (impossible without wine!). Cheers.

hmm said...

Thanks, all the best to you.