Stress now and later
(not intended to diagnose or prescribe) In the coming day make time and take time – 5 to 15 minutes or more each day – for yourself. To be kind to yourself: listen to music you love, take a walk, spend time in silence, sit and do nothing, meditate or do self hypnosis. The article below is a good reminder of the continual stress we are under in today's world. 70 percent of the presenting issues in a clinical setting are stress related, meaning they started from a stressor in the persons life. I have personally felt the load of stress via death of spouse and know the physical and mental changes it can bring about in a very short amount of time. A question I ask nearly client, regardless of issue is, “What happened 3, 6 or 9 months ago?” For some issues I go back even further, depending on how long the issue has been present. Stress-Proofing Programme by Leon Chaitow, 1985 Thorsons Publishers Ltd pgs 14 through 18 Stress and Changes in Lifestyle This scale is based on the work of T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1967, No.11) and is meant as a guide to the assessment of measurable stress factors, resulting from having to adjust to change. There are many other sources of stress, but it is true to say that a high score on this chart (300 or more) over a short time-span (six months or so), is a strong indicator (affecting 80 per cent of people) of the likelihood of major illness becoming apparent. If the score is relatively high, anything from 150 to 299 points, about 50 per cent of people become ill soon afterwards, and if under 150 points are scored, fewer than 30 percent become ill. The higher the score, the greater the need for stress-proofing. Changes in Lifestyle Scale Death of husband of wife 100 Divorce 73 Marital separation 65 Jail sentence or being institutionalized 63 Death of close member of family 63 Illness of injury 53 Marriage 50 Los of job 47 Reconciliation with marriage partner 45 Retirement 45 Health problem of close member of family 44 Pregnancy 40 Sex problems 39 Addition to family 39 Major change at work 39 Change in financial status 39 Death of friend 37 Change in line of work 36 Change in number of marital arguments 35 Large mortgage taken out 31 Mortgage or loan foreclosed 30 Responsibility change 29 Child leaves home 29 In-law problems 29 Personal achievement realized 28 Wife starts or stops work 26 Start at new school 26 Leaving school 26 Change in living conditions 25 Change in personal habits 24 Trouble with employer 23 Change in working hours 20 Change in residence 20 Change in recreation 19 Change in church activities 19 Change in social activities 18 Small mortgage taken out 17 Change in sleeping habits 16 Change in number of family get-togethers 15 Major change in eating pattern 15 Holiday 13 Christmas 12 Minor violation of law 11 It is known that these scores and positions on the scale vary in different cultures. Different belief systems place the stress of marriage higher in Europe than in Japan. There is another element in life which often can produce more stress than the events themselves. This is the highly charged area of anticipated problems or events. While losing a job is indeed high-scoring stress factor, the anticipation of the loss presents potentially greater stress by virtue of time-scale involved. Once a job has been lost, the reality of the situation determines that the individual does something about the matter. Looking for a new job, making financial arrangements, etc, are all stressful, but are in fact responses to the event. Conflicts, real or imagined, between the individual and other people or groups is a further major stress factor. External stress factors, while easy to identify, are less easy to measure and control. There might include excessive noise (construction), exposure to excessive heat (bakers), cold (working in cold-storage areas) boring or repetitive occupations (assembly line workers) and factors of commuting on an unreliable transportation system or driving in heavy traffic for hours every day. Over the next few months give yourself the gifts of: extra grace, a laugh or 10 and smile. Be well, stay well and get well. Jessica L Hanson CHt LLC
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJessica L Hanson CHt. LLC Archives
July 2024
Categories |