Annatopia

The Pendulum of Balance continues to swing...

Sitting in a Health Psychology class, I find the lectures particularly striking the information and discussion on the causes of stress and coping strategies have become such common “lingo” in every day language. I can’t help but wonder if the tremendous amount of attention on stress is not becoming a source of stress! We are constantly being told that it’s hectic, busy, stressful, busy, that there is not enough time for anything meaningful. After a while you begin to believe it and not “being stressed” becomes an abnormal state!

I often return to wondering: how much of our current stress is being cause by something we are creating rather than something “real”? I suppose in the end it becomes connected and cannot be separated.
Even though coping strategies can be aimed at changing the person or the environment, the focus is by and large on changing a persons behaviors. Our culture is creating and feeding into this cycle on the tremendous focus on the person and the phenomenon of individualism. Although I think it is important to be aware of one’s own self empowerment and potential to change, there needs to be a balance between the individual and the environment we live in for they do not live in isolation.

I think we need a little bit more focus or attention on how we change or improve the environments we are living and functioning in rather just on the “self help” approach we makes us highly adaptable but chronically stressed and looking for help! Perhaps if we all, as a group, community, city etc. realize and recognize that we contribute to the creation of the environments we function and live in (home, work, city, school) and that they have a direct impact on one’s well being – mental, emotional and psychological – then perhaps there could be a conscious and cultural shift to creating environments which are more conducive to the human condition, the “unbearable lightness of being”…and a combination of personal and community approaches to decreasing stress and improving overall quality of life could be more achievable.

Perhaps we need a little bit more attention to the ying and the yang of things…and recognize that the “homes” we live in are just as reflective of the person we are and our internal physiological and psychological environments.

And the pendulum of balance continues to swing…

posted by Annatopia @ 5:56 AM