COPING WITH STRESS.

BY ANNE MARETE.

Year 2012 is finally here. You gladly bid 2011 goodbye because it was a very difficult year, especially for the downtrodden masses. What with the high price of basic consumer goods petrol and other necessities of life. Yet our salaries or is it wages? Remain the same .

I do not mean to sound pessimistic knowing that one of your New Year resolutions is to look at the bright side of life—always.

January as I said is here and now you are experiencing the usual January blues or stress because you are now faced with huge bills accrued over December, fees that has to be or has been paid. Also, don’t forget that save for the dates that have changed, the high cost of living has not. Your salary too, stubbornly remains the same and to add in salt to injury, we are further faced with the uncertainty of 2012 elections since not much has been done to heal the Nation.IDPs are still languishing in poverty all over the country. you wonder whether the politicians will conduct election campaigns in a civil manner, whether the different mass media will remain free and fair or whether they will be the politicians’ tools of war, propaganda and incitement as they were in 2007.What, you wonder, will happen when elections have been announced and the candidates, whom the ‘impartial’ opinion polls predicted was heading for victory does not go through?

In short, we are a Nation of stressed out people. Back to our brand new year. You now feel sick, yet you cannot place exactly where you are unwell .You feel like your Whole body is a bomb, just waiting to explode .

Recent statistics suggest that as much as 70 percent of all visits to doctors involve conditions that are stressed related or are made worse by stress. Stress is literally making us sick. It is however, not contradictory to say that a little bit of stress can be good for you, as it makes one alert and able to concentrate effectively and perform to high standards. However, if it gets too much your body begins to slow down and unpleasant side effects begin to manifest.

Some of the effects of stress include problems going to sleep and dealing with emotions. You feel very irritable or you may feel tearful .Then there are the physical problems

such as heart problems, Depression and other mental disorders. Have you noticed an increase in the number of people who monologue on the streets? They are stressed.

Dr Hans Seyle (1970) described what has become known as General Adaptive Response to stress. He argued that there are three stages of stress :

The first is the Alarm stage, which is the body’s initial response to stress.

The body initiates a fight or flight mechanism to try and wade off stress.

The second stage is the Resistance stage where the stressor has been around for sometime and the body is adapting to its presence .

Long term changes start to occur in the body to deal with the load added by the stressor. At this point however, your body begins to physically feel worn out and a range of other symptoms that appear mild when examined separately , also appear. They include muscle tension, especially in the upper back ,chest and jaws. There may be an increase in headaches, skin complications , bowel problems due to lowered absorption, as well as unexplained fatigue.

The third stage is the Exhaustion stage where the body recognises that it is no longer able to deal with the continuing demands placed on it by the stressor or by a number of stressors .Resistance to stress and disease is severely reduced.

At this stage you may be experiencing a number of more severe symptoms such as lowered libido and impotence high blood pressure, heart problems as well as becoming more accident prone. Your body is now screaming, telling you that it is time to take action to reduce stress. Is there a way out of this abyss, you may ask? Yes there is. Recognising that a problem exists is half the battle won. The other half is committing to making changes in the way you do things so that you are able to relax.

It is good to mention at this stage that before you try each and every suggestion remember that you and your circumstances are special and unique .Taking up expensive hobbies is not going to help you relax if the main reason that you are under stress is because of severe financial burden.

Use several small steps that can be integrated into your existing life. These steps should not be over ambitious so that they can be effective and easy to stick to.

First, you need to reduce stress by avoiding the source–if you can or take significant action to change how it affects you.

If is a workmate who is the source of the stress for instance you can try and avoid them as much as possible avoiding all confrontations with them.

If finances are the reason you are stressed ,find a way of dealing with it. For instance, you can cut down on unnecessary expenditure. Why for example should you strain to buy clothes for Christmas for the family when you can hardly put a decent meal on the table? To save face? so that neighbours don’t talk?

The other way to deal with stress would be to find an outlet for frustrations. Don’t bottle it up. Instead find a harmless way of releasing your tension. Physical exercise does wonders. You can also find a trusted friend whom you can talk to. A problem shared ,they say, is half solved.

The third way to combat stress is to enhance your sense of control. This can be done by developing security or predictability in other aspects of your life.

Why would anyone in their right frame of mind, use so much money over a festive season, then shortly after feel insecure and stressed out since they have no money to use for the most important areas of life? Then you start going into debts, which then increase your level of stress. Aren’t most of us caught up in this miserable cycle?

Then, learn to relax. How, you ask? You can for instance learn taking in deep breaths, as it allows your lungs to fully inflate, which means you will get more energy to your brain and body whilst calming the mind.

Create a haven .This is a space where you feel totally comfortable and secure. This can be done for instance by selecting calm colours for your house. Lighter, softer, colours and pastels are deemed to be more relaxing than strong vibrant colours .In addition, you can use sound to change the atmosphere. Soft and classical music would be ideal. Have you thought of plants or other aspects of nature?

Reduce or get rid of any clutter and use comfortable furnishing as well as airing the room properly. Fragrances are an added advantage. Ensure you have some breathing space or some ‘me’ time. This can be done by delegating work. Reward yourself by treating yourself to something you would like to do or have. You can for instance treat yourself to dinner with your partner or friends, go for a body massage, treat yourself to a hair do, facial, manicure and pedicure or simply have a quite time alone to meditate without letting anyone put anything in that time- You have worked for the time off , earned it, and now you need to enjoy it without allowing yourself to feel guilty. Do not carry out any chore during this time. This will leave you relaxed , refreshed and better able to deal with existing problems.

Natural remedies are also good stress relievers. Good examples include coriander, chamomile, ginger, grape fruit and lemon. To reduce stress we have to check what we eat. Reduce caffeine, sugar laden foods, over refined foods, tea and alcohol and instead increase water intake, and vitamin rich foods, it’s also important to develop a strong support network. Identify those whom you can turn to for help. Enhance your relationships by creating good bonds with those willing to help and cut out or limit contact the ‘dead wood ‘- those you associate with and are not relaxing to be around.

Lastly, re-examine your expectations .In John Ruganda’s play The Burdens, one of his characters (Tinka) tells her over ambitious husband Wamala that

“Too much ambition breaks a man”

He replies that “Too little takes him nowhere”

We therefore need to find a balance, avoiding the extreme of too much ambition or too little. Either of the two roads, taken to the extreme ,leads to stress .

Let us have a stress free 2012.