STRESS: Coping with Today’s Hectic Pace

Does the pace of life tend to overwhelm you at times? Does it leave you frustrated, tired, barely able to cope? If so, you are not alone because many experience the same feeling. Many years ago, people lived in a very simple way.

  

In simpler times, a person could bury a seed and tend their crops. In less than a month, food is produced and served on the table. Others would tend livestock and in less than a year, sell them for a reasonable profit. People lived more in harmony with the cycles of nature and had less worries. Daytime was for work, and nighttime was for one’s family and rest.

Today, there are a number of reasons why people feel increasingly tired and fatigued. I sometimes ask myself, why do we need to live in a sophisticated, fast-paced world when we could live a simple life without stress and frustration? Stress in life can produce unhealthy results and has created new forms of symptoms that you need to deal with in order to survive in the world today.

CHRONIC TIREDNESS

Billions of people, especially in the metropolis, find that life has become a dizzying and exhausting rush. This is so evident in Western lands and even in third-world countries. Chronic tiredness is what we feel everyday due to over exhaustion and daily tensions which may come from work, family situations, sex issues or other factors.

People sleep less and one of the more significant developments that changed sleeping patterns was the invention of the electric light. With one flick of a switch, we could extend the length of the day. Night could now become day.

Indeed, factories began to operate round the clock and service industries extended their hours and people soon began staying up late which altered their typical routine.

A writer once said in regards to artificial light: “The twenty-four-hour society was born.”

TECHNOLOGY

Other technological advances, such as radio, TV, and personal computers, have also played a role in depriving us of the needed minimum 8 hours of sleep everyday. Not only do our days become longer, but life itself seems to move faster; once again, facilitated by technology. The horse drawn carriage of less than a century ago is a far cry from today’s fast cars, bullet trains, and jet airplanes.

On the other hand, technology has produced labor-saving results. However, many say that they feel more exhausted and strained than ever before. The causes are many and complex. An example is economic pressure. People spend at least 40+ hours a week at a job and those ever increasing work hours were likely to have bad effects on family and community. Add in time on commuting to crowded trains and buses or on congested roads everyday and you have over 50 hours per week devoted to your job which adds to increased tensions. 

OVER FATIGUE

Another Factor is over fatigue. Over Fatigue has become so common in the recent years because of today’s sleep-deprived lifestyle. Many people remain chronically tired. Researchers have comprehensive evidence that lack of sleep causes learning and memory problems, weakened immune system and motor-skill impairment. These problems can be both serious and costly.

According to one estimate, tiredness and fatigue cost the world at least $377 billion each year. But no amount of money can equal the cost in human life and health, which all too often are also affected.

EFFECTS ON RELATIONSHIPS

The stressed, sleep deprived lifestyle also takes a toll on relationships. Consider the case of a newly married couple. They wanted what most newlywed's desire; a comfortable home and financial security, so both went to work full-time. But because of irregular shifts, they had little time together. Their relationship soon began to suffer. They ignored the stress, fatigue, chronic tiredness, mood changes, depression and persisted with their demanding schedule until their marriage, which had hardly begun, fell apart.

Studies show that the divorce rate in shift working families is 60% higher than for day workers in regular jobs. Yet, whether they work shifts or not, many couples try to cram so much in their lives that, in effect, they squeeze the life out of their marriage. For others, stress and fatigue may contribute to a cycle of drug and alcohol abuse and poor eating habits. It may also lead to many other problems, sometimes even child abuse.

To aid parents in coping with demanding schedules, child-care centers are increasing in number, with some even offering 24-hour service. Often times, parents forget that children need generous amounts of quality time with them. In today’s fast moving industrial civilization, the elderly are often affected as well. The changes and the constant flood of new gadgets onto the market make many feel confused, afraid, insecure or even obsolete; they sometimes even say that life has changed a lot.

  

IMPROVING YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

The book “The 24-hour Society” says: “We need to develop the wisdom to protect human needs and nature in the technological world we have created.” Though we are in a world that is fast paced and sophisticated, there are things that we can do to help us cope and improve the quality of our life.

1.  “Keep our life simple and uncluttered.” For millions of people today, we spend an inordinate amount of time obtaining and maintaining the endless number of material things this world would have us believe we need in order to be happy. Quality of life is not measured in terms of material wealth. In fact, riches often add to life’s stresses and anxieties. So take a good look at each of your possessions, and ask yourself, ‘Is this really needed, or is it clutter? Does it add to the quality of my life, or does it steal valuable time?’ When we simplify our life, we make more time for family, friends and for ourselves. Such time is vital to our happiness.

2. “Manage time and set priorities.” Determine what the important things are, and assign sufficient time for these. If important matters are rushed or handled superficially, serious problems often follow. Hence, you may need to cull out anything that consumes time but yields poor returns. In setting priorities, take into account your need for a little solitude, time for constructive meditation and for recharging your own batteries. People who are too busy to meditate can become lose site of the true meaning of life.

3. “Be modest.” Modesty is important because it helps you to avoid taking on unrealistic work loads and responsibilities. If you are modest, you will know when to say no to overtime work or other activities that would encroach on something more important. Modest people are not envious of what others have and do; hence, they tend to be more content. Genuine modesty, in turn, is a facet of spirituality, another vital key to gaining more control over our lives.

4. “Avoid anxiety and find true peace.” Our body doesn't have flashing red lights and alarms to tell us when to stop or take a break. Nevertheless, it does give us warning signals. Whenever we feel the symptoms of depression, chronic tiredness, mood changes and a tendency to become easily infected by common viruses, it may be time to reexamine your lifestyle.