What if Texas, which is roughly the size of Ukraine, was Ukraine? And what if Mexico was Russia? Would YOU, as a sixty-five year old couple, with two back packs, a few plastic bags and your dearly beloved cat, have the strength and stamina to walk the miles to one of the bordering states? Or as a young mother with two children under ten, each with a back pack carrying a change of clothes, a favorite toy, a snack and a cell phone have the strength, stamina, courage and equilibrium to find your way to a neighboring state?
Dr Hans Hugo Selye
DR. SELYE WAS one of the most influential endocrinologists known for his research on the effects of stress on the human body. His interest in stress began when he was in medical school when he observed that patients with various chronic illnesses appeared to display a common set of symptoms that he attributed to what is now commonly called stress.
The dictionary starts its description of stress with three words: “pressure,” “force,” and “strain.” Selye says that that we are born with an inherited capacity to withstand stress. He also says that once this adaptation energy is used up, there is no known way to replace it.
So how do we best use this inherited capacity? Everything costs but some things cost more than others and some things are worth more than others. It may bug you that your teen leaves the top off the toothpaste – but is it really worth being angry about? On the other hand if you’ve just lost your job and the mortgage is due that is worth worrying about. The strongest two single stressors are fear and anger.
You might start by making a list of…
- Stress Questions
- Do I like what I’m doing?
- Am I where I want to be – and if not, where do I want to be?
- Am I with people I like? Who bothers me?
- Is there something bothering me? Can I change it?
- Then on the Physical
- How old am I? What do I weigh? Do I have pain?
- Should I change what I’m doing and if so what should I change and how should I go about it?
- And on Pleasure
- What do I do for pleasure now?
- What do I do for physical fitness? If nothing, what is stopping me?
Throughout her lifetime Bonnie weathered many, many storms. In her book Myotherapy: Bonnie Prudden’s Complete Guide to Pain Free Living, there are 32 references to stress in the index. When stress is unrelenting muscles tighten and muscle pain follows. It creeps in and becomes chronic.
“Intermittent strain the healthy body can usually stand. Constant strain is different: It’s like Selye’s stress. He says that stress is like carrying a pail of water in one hand. At first the body adapts. It rearranges its normally balanced self to accommodate the uneven strain. For a while it seems to do fairly well, but actually isn’t doing well at all. Here and there, parts break down and ultimately exhaustion sets in. Shortly after that, if nothing is done to relieve the stress, the organism dies of exhaustion.”
Physical Fitness
And were she here now she would remind us that:
“Physical fitness isn’t the answer to everything, but it’s a darned good start…” “…we should say that it is impossible to protect a child from the perils of the world. We can’t protect an adult either. We can, however, prepare people of almost any age to meet those perils. Learning to swim is the best way to prepare against drowning.” —Fitness from Six to Twelve, by Bonnie Prudden
When you feel good, when you are strong and flexible, when you have energy and endurance…everything else is easier. You are able to help yourself and others, you recuperate faster, and you can act more quickly and rationally.
Courage and confidence, like curiosity, language skills and good manners, don’t begin when the storm comes through, they begin early with practice and preparation.
When storms come your way so does muscle tension along with the accompanying aches. Storms are the time to up your exercise program and get rid of that tension BEFORE it has time to accumulate in your muscles. My recent storm sent me into the pool twice a day, dissolving the muscle tension and making the way for clear thinking and rational forward movement.
MUSIC: Do Not Underestimate the Power of Music Ever
Although you could do an exercise program without music, music makes it more enjoyable, you don’t have to count because the music counts for you and your movement become more uniform as you hit the beat. A good exercise class uses many tempos and moods which not only develop differing levels of coordination but feed the emotional needs. “Not every hour is noon nor every day full of sunlight.” Bonnie used to say her motor runs on music. Mine does too. If I hear music I have to move. Music is the last thing to go. People in nursing homes will sing and keep beat to music when they no longer speak.
Perhaps you’ve noticed the number of times where music is being played in bunkers in Ukraine and at the borders. There is something about music that touches the heart, lifts the spirit, “feeds emotional needs” and makes us feel better.
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If you have questions or need help, email me at enid@bonnieprudden.com.
For more information about Bonnie Prudden®, Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®, workshops, books, self-help tools, DVDs, educational videos, and blogs, visit www.bonnieprudden.com. Or call 520-299-8064 if you have questions or need help. Enid Whittaker, Managing Director, Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®