Dr Archibald Hart, Clinical Psychologist says, “we live in a body that responds to stress and a world that produces it. The potential for stress is all about us – in our friends, families, work, in every part of our life. Our bodies are intricately designed to respond to stress in such a way as to help us deal with it, at least initially … Whenever we are threatened physically or psychologically, a chain of responses is set in motion to prepare us for what has been described as the “fight or flight” response. Behind it all is [the] adrenal system with its complex assortment of hormones.” 1
So what you say – there’s no earth shattering revelation here.
But let’s examine this a little further.
The adrenaline that is released into our bodies to prepare us for action required by the stressful situation causes our blood pressure and pulse rate to rise. So while there is nothing wrong with short bursts of adrenaline response it is the constant, relentless state of pressure with its resultant continual hormonal high that has serious effects on the cardiovascular system.
And here’s the kicker …
Adrenaline rush even in short bursts, will cause an equal and opposite reaction in the body, known as “post-adrenaline depression”. Symptoms include irritability, negativity, weariness and fatigue. (hmmm….sound familiar?) This reaction is a ‘friend’ to the body.
What is needed is recovery time i.e. time to relax or chill out.
Do you give yourself time to recover…..or do you keep pushing yourself and wonder why your body is not keeping up?
The danger is that because of the adrenaline induced high you feel good (perhaps even very good) and so you find yourself saying “This can’t be doing me any harm. I feel so good.”
The key is to understand what your body is doing and what it is telling you. You ignore its messages at your peril.
Hart suggests five steps to managing stress:
1. Find a sensitive method for monitoring stress levels e.g. take your pulse rate, check hands to face to see if cold (often a sign of stress)
2. Think conservation. Put adrenaline-lowering strategies in place in your life e.g. always build in rest times after very active times.
3. Learn some relaxation techniques
4. Set boundaries on your life so you are able to say “no”.
Tip: So your family or personal time does not get eroded by other pressures put it in your diary just like you would that important business meeting. Then stick to it.
5. Improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, preferably – for most people – eight to nine hours. [And if you snore like a freight train…do yourself and your partner a favour and see a sleep specialist for a check up as sleep apnea may be the issue and getting it addressed may save your life. Trust me I know from personal experience!]
When are you the most creative?
For some it’s lying in bed at night, or in the bath or shower, or perhaps on the golf course or out on the boat fishing.
Ever wondered why that is?
Well there is a Law known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law (developed in 1908) which states that:
• At low adrenaline arousal we are not very effective in action but very good at thinking creatively;
• At medium arousal, we become more effective in action and less in creative thinking;
• At high arousal, our efficiency in both action and thinking drops off again.
Visually picture a “bell curve” with the horizontal axis being “arousal” & vertical axis being “performance” and you’ll get the idea.
So another good and very practical reason to lower your stress levels is so that your creativity (that’s best ideas; solutions to that complex business problem etc) will flow. The time you take out to “chill” may be the most creative that you have.
Warning: Initially you might get a little frustrated that while you are trying to rest lots of thoughts come to your mind. Have a pad and pen handy – write them down and store them for later action. Resist the temptation to run off and begin immediately without giving yourself time to rest or enjoy.
1 Dr Archibald D Hart, Adrenaline & Stress, Nashville, W Publishing Group, 1995
Adapted from How to Survive and Thrive As A Church Leader, Nick Cuthbert, Monarch Books Oxford UK, 2006
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