|
Author: Roy Thomsitt Article source: http://groups.yahoo.com/. Used with author's permission.
Stress Relief
Stress is a big business in Western society. We live what we regard as hectic lives, that prime us with stress. That stress, to those who recognise its presence, requires relief. We are competitive beyond true need, and that too pumps more stress into us. We live lives that are devoid of spirituality, and that allows stress to infiltrate deeply into our daily existence, often to roam uncontrolled throughout our minds and bodies.
In our material world, it is no wonder that stress relief has become big business. Suffering stress has become habitual in Western society. Mostly, it is self imposed, a fabrication of the modern Western way of life. By and large, much of the stress experienced in Europe, North America, and Australia, is self imposed. There are signs too that in other rich countries, such as Japan and South Korea, the same thing is happening.
Almost 5 years ago I left England to live in the Philippines. My time here has taught me a lot about stress and its existence in England and other Western countries. My learning has come at three different levels:
1. Personal Stress Relief
I recall with total clarity my first visit to the Philippines, and especially my first visit to Palawan, where I have now settled. I remember the wonderful feeling I had, of being alive, in tune with myself, and totally stress free. Like many in England, I had lived for many years in a zombie like existence, trying to earn money, and working for other people. Often commuting long distances and for many hours, I had gradually lost my sense of existence as an individual. Some relief to that had come when I was able to start my own business with my ex-wife, and then to move to a beautiful location on the south coast. That relief did not last long, as divorce and all its ramifications brought a resurgence of stress.
When I arrived in Palawan, in the second part of a three week stay in the Philippines, that had all gone. Making a decision to come and live here permanently was easy, and it was done with complete clarity and full awareness. Talk about instant stress relief.
2. Stress In Perspective - Genuine Stress Of The Truly Poor
Stress has been around, no doubt, since early man lived in caves. The stress of survival. That is what true stress, or rather justified stress, is about. The need to survive, to hunt for a meal, to defend against attack.
Most families in the Philippines are very poor. I mean, really poor, not what we in England regard as poor. A poor person in England would seem very rich to many Filipinos. Most Filipino families live in housing conditions that would not be considered fit for a garden shed in England. While starvation is not generally an issue, malnutrition is widespread. Many families do not know from day to day if they will have enough food. If anyone in the family is ill, many will not be able to pay doctors fees or hospital fees. That is a basis for justified stress.
There is genuine scope for stress here in the Philippines, and of course it does exist. Unlike in England, though, it is not usually self inflicted at an individual level. Most people still manage to be hospitable, to smile, and to give thanks for what they do have. The generosity of the poor always impresses me. It is a humbling experience to witness.
Living here has made me feel guilty for my own country that it is riddled with stress, and that stress relief is such big business. The stress back home in England was unnecessary, and born out of greed, materialism, and a complete focus on self. I am grateful to the Filipinos for helping me to put that into perspective.
3. Spirituality In Stress Relief
Here in the Philippines, the people as a rule have open hearts. They are by nature spiritual, as are many Asian cultures. Many Westerners would dismiss such open heartedness as naive, primitive, innocence, and ignorance. It is those Westerners, though, who are living through ignorance. Ignorance of themselves and what their humanity is capable of.
I have come to believe, from observation in both England and the Philippines, that through allowing your spirituality to flow naturally, stress is reduced. Exploring spiritual avenues aids perspective in one's own life. Spiritual avenues are a major source of stress relief, partially by the positive reaction they can bring within an individual's life, and partially by filling gaps in an individual's existence that would otherwise be flooded by negative thoughts, and thus by self inflicted stress.
Much of the Western stress, I believe, comes from a disassociation from a substantial part of our own humanity. Western life has become based on a minimal part of the human character, a tiny proportion of the scope of the human brain.
In other words, Western life has become full of emptiness. Much of the self inflicted stress stems from that void. Roy Thomsitt is the owner and part author of http://www.routes-to-self-improvement.com
Marriages May End But Families Are Forever
It was at that time when our marriage was falling apart and we completely hated each other when we needed to work constructively as parents, as our child's worl...
Bird Watching Journals – Preserve Your Bird Watching Experiences
Bird Watching is a great way to escape the rat race and be one with nature. Alas, your bird watching experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent thi...
Pools Can Add Value To Your Home
If you're looking to enhance the value of your home, either to resell or for your own personal enjoyment, you might be looking for a pool to increase that value...
Food: The Proof Is In The Portion
The escalating pace of obesity and overweight in the United States is traced to the ever-increasing food portions we consume both at home and in restaurants.
Search Engine Optimization and Submission Tips
Find out the best ways to build site maps and optimize each page on your site. Find out if you should use features such as flash and javascripting.
Lesson #5: Four Easy Ways to Kill Your Business Using Your Autoresponder... And How to Avoid Them
Seven-lesson email course that will power up your email marketing and profits: The importance of building an opt-in list over spamming (a.k.a., using unsolicit...
Best Recipes: Chicken with Apples
Best Recipes: Chicken with Apples
Bringing Home A New Puppy
A new puppy is a lot of hard work...
Send Loads of Free, Targeted Traffic to Your Site
There are many ways to get free and targeted traffic to your website...
Fuel for Motivation
How can you stay energized in the face of so many obstacles? Why do some people look at life from a positive point of view all the time? What is the formula f...
Where Have All The Wise Men Gone? Jesus Is Not Acceptable For Christmas!
It's CHRISTmas! Where are the wise men? WOW - The wise men are MISSING! What kind of Christmas is this anyway? Are you caught up in the "season" with this Chris...
Truckers Take Some Hits and Keep On Trucking
After 9-11 insurance rates on Independent Truck Drivers and smaller trucking companies showed an average increase of over 30%. Larger trucking companies are gen...
Golf Stretching Secrets to Improve Performance
The trend in larger and therefore heavier club heads in recent years has made golf stretching secrets even more important to acquire.
Why eBooks Are The Most Overlooked Path To Online Prosperity
The Internet now makes it possible to come up with an idea, turn it into an ebook, distribute it over the Internet, and start making money - all n 30 days or le...
How To Become A Computer Consultant
In this article, we'll look at the business opportunities for computer consultants, the reasons why there will almost always be a strong need for good computer ...
Hiking Safari with the Masaai Warriors
See Tanzania's incredible flora and fauna on Foot. Walking in the African Bush with Masaai Warriors as you guides. Spectacular game viewing is combined with hi...
Healthy Eating
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according to the teaching work of The Master Peter Deunov" . I've never red something so simple and so sensefu...
Caring for Your Hardwood and Hardwood Laminate is Easier Than You Think
Just vacuum the hardwood and you are done! It does not get any easier than that.
How Do You Make Money From Google Adwords?
Can you really make money from this? Late 2003, I think was the first time an ebook popped up that claimed that one could make money from Google
Adwords...
Creating Your Joyful Home: Inspiration to Make a Home Planning Journal
Design Psychology Professor Jeanette Fisher presents inspiration to make a home planning journal.
Why Traditional Goal Setting Doesnt Work
If you have a $100.000.000 in the bank, drive new Lexus, look like
a movie star and have a perfect health save yourself some time
and do not read this article...
Fix And Flip - The Formula
Buy a house, fix it up and sell it for a profit. A great plan if you don't make the mistake most investors make.
Abs: How to Get a Sexy Six Pack?
Want sexy abs? But don't know how to get rid of those love handles? Then read on...
How Your Wedding Shoes Can Make or Break the Most Important Day of Your Life
Planning a wedding usually begins with the choice of venue, photographer, cake and dress. Discover why the decision over wedding shoes is so important.
|
Print this page