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tions in which d isease takes
hold.
Are You Suffering from Stress?
People don't always know when
they are under stress . Even
though they don' t feel tense and
under pressure, their body none–
the-less suffers from the effects
stress produces. To determine if
you' re suffering from stress, Dr.
Frank Finnerty sorne years ago
listed the following questions to
ask yourself:
• Do minor problems and dis–
appointments throw you into a
dither?
• Do you find it difficult to get
along with people, and are people
having trouble getting along with
you?
• Do the small pleasures of life
fail to satisfy you?
• Are you unable to stop think–
ing of your anxieties?
• Do you fear people or situa–
tions that never used to trouble
you?
• Are you suspicious of people,
mistrustful of your friends?
• Do you have the feeling of
being trapped?
• Do you feel inadequate or
su ffer tortures of self-doubt?
(From
Family Health,
No–
vember, 1974.)
Dr. Finnerty then commented
that if you answered
yes
to most
of those questions, you may be on
the road to illness unless you
learn to cope better with those
situations.
What Causes Stress?
Any situation that upsets our nor–
mal and peaceful Iife can be
stressfu l. Economic crises, energy
shortages, earthquakes, bad
weather, crime problems in our
neighborhood, race riots and
other chaotic conditions in the
world can increase stress on our
lives. As the world falls apart
around them, people worry about
the futu re and wonder where the
world is heading.
Three major categories of situ–
ations in life can cause stress. One
is where there is a
loss-of
some–
one o r something. Losing a
spouse through death, divorce or
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separation produces the greatest
amount of stress. Losing a job, a
source of income or a close friend
also causes stress.
Another s ituation is where
there is a
threat
of sorne kind. It
can be a threat to a person's sta–
tus at work or in the community,
a threat to security and health
because of sickness or age. When
a woman sees her beauty fade
away and a man loses his strength
and vitality, a stressful situation
develops.
If
a man sees that his
life-time goals are not likely to be
achieved, that threat could aJso
become a big worry to him.
The third situation· involves a
major
change
to a person's way of
life. The change can involve mari–
tal status, heaJth, type of work or
responsibilities at work, or gener–
al living conditions. Drs. Thomas
Holmes and Richard Rahe have
discovered that major changes in
one's life, whether pleasant or
unpleasant, all take a physical and
mental toll.
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f severa! major
changes take place in a short peri–
od of time, including loss and
threat situations, there is a high
risk of falling ill.
Learn to Uve with Stress
Since we cannot avoid all stress,
we need to learn to live with it.
We need to learn how much
stress our individual bodies can
take. We need to learn to manage
our lives so that the bad effects
from overstress do not perma–
nently harm our bodies.
Improv–
ing our health
is the first coping
strategy we can use.
lt is an established fact that
reasonable exercise relieves ten–
sion. Dr. Hans Selye, a leading
expert on stress, found that
under-exercised mice withstood
stress far worse than those in
peak physical condition. Building
up stamina is a way to survive
during periods of stress.
A few exercises in the morning
are mentally stimulating. Exercise
outdoors when you canto get more
fresh air and sunshine. More out–
door living will counteract the ten–
sion of modern city ti fe.
Since stress burns up energy and
causes fatigue, eat regular meals of
nutritious food and get adequate
rest. Sir Winston Churchill took
naps during the day to reduce ten–
sion and refresh his body.
Taking time out for relaxation is
aJso important. When pressures
mount up, our minds need a diver–
sion-a cbange of pace or scenery.
We can listen to
good
music, but it
must be melodic and harmonious to
serve as a tonic for jangled nerves.
Much of the loud and raucous noise
labeled as music today can only
increase tension.
The modern scene is vividly
described by W. Phillip Keller in
his book
Taming Tension.
"Jf
we
insist on fi ll ing our homes with mad
music, if we turn up the volume
until our heads throb, ifwe play dis–
cordant melodies with their provoc–
ative beat ... we are bound to ·gen–
erate sorne terrible tensions. We
need not be surprísed if our sur–
roundings become electric and
charged wíth chaos, stress, and out–
right hosti líties'' (p.
135).
Other forms of relaxat ion
would include reading an inspir–
ing book, or playing games with
the family or friends. When a
total change of environment is
possible, take a trip to the park or
an area of natura] beauty where
you can observe the creative
handiwork of God. Whatever you
enjoy doing and find relaxing can
be an antidote to stress.
The mind needs "quiet times"
for a change of pace. Sorne use
hobbies as a form of quiet díver–
sion away from people and prob–
lems. Meditation and prayer in a
prívate place are highly recom–
mended in the Bible.
King David of ancient Israel
admitted his prayers were more
effective when coupled with med–
itation. "My soul shall be satis–
fied as with marrow and fatness;
and my mouth shall praise thee
with joyful lips: when
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remem-
The
PLAIN TRUTH