The Age of Stress as a Precedent

The cover story of Time Magazine on June 6th, 1983 declared America “In the Age of Stress”. It depicted us as a society consumed by demands for our resources and threats to our well-being.
Since that time in 1983 when the official diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was first categorized by the Board of Medicine and Psychology there has been little effort made to define the parameters of stress, thus leaving us (the lay-person) to define ANYTHING with an overwhelming effect…. as stress.
Because stress is a natural form of physical reaction to our environment, I feel it vital to understand the nervous system, its fundamental (base) response, and its contradictions.
The word “stress” has been so overly used and emphasized, as to describe everything from marital discord to juvenile delinquency, that I find it prudent to discuss the implications of typical (physical) stress vs. the “stress scapegoat”.

Stress has now become a way to blame our fears and psychological malaise on every unpropitious occurrence. These situations could easily be handled if we understood our personal reactions and childhood traumas, and knew the difference between a natural Fight/Flight response or an overly stimulated psyche.

I get this type of question more often than not from clients…and it’s posed in a few different ways. I too have asked myself from time to time “what the hell is going on with me?!”

But the gist of the feeling (or question) is something like this…  “I’ve lost interest in people, friends, work or family”, a gnawing feeling of dread and/or anxiety… the loss of curiosity for studying, or spiritual growth… and sometimes the total bottoming out of energy which often gets labeled “depression”.

It’s hard for me to communicate or deliver the fundamental question to clients because we are so “in it” (in the experience of it) that we miss a crucial stage.

In my world, there are two categories of complaints we as humans express.

There are the symptoms of a situation or issue (which has the most acute form of attention), and then there are root issues… which would be the deeper question or “cause” for the complaint.

”Why am I here?”

“What’s the meaning of life?”

“What am I suppose to be doing with myself?”

“Why am I so unhappy?”

Got yours?

The belief that perfection can be achieved affects the lives of countless numbers of people. Many people are obsessed with achieving perfection to the point that it affects their physical and psychological well being. These individuals are commonly referred to as “perfectionists.” They seek the perfect mate, the perfect job, the perfect body, and they are often unhappy in their quest.

Even the most mundane task can become an ordeal since the task must be performed to an exacting standard. These people experience disappointment and dissatisfaction and are often unable to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They believe that perfection is attainable; they experience falling short of the goal as failure. These individuals spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make certain that they will avoid making mistakes.

Perfection is meant to be an abstract ideal toward which we strive in an attempt to gain proficiency and to excel. It is a concept designed to spur us on to greater heights. The meaning of the word perfection is illustrated by the phrase “striving toward perfection.” Few people who adopt seeking perfection as a value (as opposed to achieving perfection) expect to achieve it. Seeking perfection merely connotes that process of moving closer to an abstract ideal.

The British have a saying that encourages people to show their skills while mocking the universal “fear of failure”:  Do your worst.

If you can’t tolerate your worst, at least once in a while…… how true to yourself can you be?

Stressors are events or situations that induce stress. It is found that stressors for high-level decision makers or corporate employees have been shown to be; time pressure, potential layoff threat, workload, and environmental conditions such as noise and weather.

Here are just a few significant stressors you may already be experiencing:

• Serious threat to important values and goals, life, health, environment;
• Danger and fear of loss for one’s own livelihood
• Strain of responsibility;
• Fear of failure-catastrophic consequences of failing to solve the crisis;
• Having reduced ability to be effective, resulting in less control over consequences;
• Rapid changes requiring continuing assessments;
• Time pressure which is not always accurate;
• Insecurity-regarding assessment of the situation and solutions;
• Little information-or information overload;
• Group pressure, and/or subgroups emerging.
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