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Seeking Eustress: Natural Repair Mechanisms & Effective Diversions

2008-10-01 04:00:00
Author: By Bob Nielsen

Active business professionals are triggered by external sources of stress many times each day.  Trying to stay in the Eustress Zone where the stress is a motivator not a debilitating force is very challenging.  Typical daily events like running late for important meetings, missing phone calls or email, or having a conflict with a coworker can cause stress to build on any given day.  Bigger events such as losing a client or a large account, a stock market dive, or a fast advance of the competition can trigger an emotional and physical stress response.  Over time, the heightened stress response will break down our physical system and we will become more vulnerable to the most predominant killers of today.  These are called diseases of adaptation, because they are directly related to our ability to adapt to the stressors in our life.  Arteriosclerosis and Heart Disease (ASHD) and Vascular Lesions of the Central Nervous System (VLCNS) result in millions of deaths each year in the United States.  Heart attacks and strokes are two of the primary diseases of adaptation, and cancer is considered by many authorities to also fall into that category.   The million dollars I make this year will do me very little good if I die of a heart attack next year because I have not managed my stress well. 

 

We can be successful and also avoid the debilitating aspects of distress!  Just as there are multitudes of things that occur that increase our stress, there are also multitudes of things we can do to decrease our stress without avoiding the necessary stress that goes with the challenges of the corporate world.  One of these involves being aware of and using our natural repair mechanisms.  Emotional and physical stress release can take place naturally through laughing, crying, sleeping, talking, exercising and any number of other activities that make use of our natural emotional or physical capabilities.  Do you laugh when things are funny, cry when things are sad, get seven to eight hours of sleep in any 24 hour period, talk about how you feel and physically exercise twenty minutes three days a week as a minimum?  Those things are proven natural repair mechanisms, and if you say you don’t have time for them, you probably will not live as long as those who do!  The time you save by not doing them now will probably be taken off, and then some, at the end.

 

To balance stress in our life we must take time to employ natural repair mechanisms and effective diversions.  Effective diversions are the breaks we take from the stress of our daily professional involvements, to be good to our self, and only you can determine what the best is for you.  What can recharge your battery?  Examples of effective diversions can involve a few seconds of your time to many hours, days, or even months.  Just taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling while thinking “relax” can often be quite helpful.  It is called a “QR” or quieting response and only takes about five seconds.  If your work involves sitting, getting up at least once each hour and walking for a minute or two is also an effective diversion.    

    

Examples of effective diversions that take a bit longer are sitting back and listening to soothing music for fifteen minutes or talking to a friend.  Vacations have a purpose also.  If you want to reduce the stress in your life by taking a vacation for a week or two, be sure to plan one that does not create more stress.  It is good to “divert” yourself from your daily stressors, but not good to add other stressors.  Again, everyone has their own idea of what an effective vacation to recharge their batteries involves.  For instance, last week my stepson and I took our annual trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  We camped on islands that were located on lakes deep within the Superior National Forest, making it necessary to carry the canoe and 100 pound backpacks over many miles of portages. We crawled out of the tent each morning, finding ice along the shorelines.  We sat through a lot of wind and rain and even snow in the week we were there.  It was wonderful for both of us!  Yet, not everyone would find it that way.  I have a friend who says “roughing it” means I have to ring twice for room service.  Effective diversions-to each her/his own!            

    

Dr. Robert C. (Bob) Nielsen is a professor at NDSU.  He coordinates the Graduate Program in Counseling which includes master’s degrees in community and school counseling and a PhD in Human Development, Counselor Education.  Email questions to:  btnielsen@loretel.net 

 

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