Living in the 21st century, we have adopted certain terminologies as a part of our vocabulary. And, we do not even spare a moment to think about them. One such common phrase is “stress is normal!”
Is stress normal?
Is it Okay for stress to be normal?
According to MedinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand. It is a feeling emotional or physical tension that arises from any thought or event that makes you frustrated, angry, or nervous.”
Now, if we try to relate this definition with the concept of “stress is normal,” it makes one believe that,
It is normal to get into a state of emotional or physical tension each time we are angry, frustrated, or nervous!
First of all, staying in such a condition is detrimental to our health in several ways. Diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, mental illnesses, and many more are the consequences of staying in a state of stress.
Then is it okay to accept stress as a part of our lives?
Now, if we look at what causes stress according to the above definition, we find that it arises from “a thought or event that makes us frustrated, angry, or nervous!”
Why do we get frustrated/angry/nervous?
The simplest reason for this is when things don’t go our way, or people do not behave in the manner we want them to. In other words, we feel frustrated when we cannot control our circumstances or others around us. The unfortunate truth is, most things that happen in life are beyond our control, and people behave the way they want to, not the way we want them to!
If this is the hard reality, should we then respond to these aspects by getting stressed and impacting our physical and mental wellbeing?
A closer look at the definition of stress points out to a simple word, “Thought!” It says that other than a specific event it is the thought that triggers stress.
Well! That’s a saving grace because while we cannot control the events that occur in our lives what we CAN control is our thoughts. It is only our thoughts that can help us respond to stressful events in life in a manner that we do not get stressed.
All that we need to do, is to learn to identify things beyond our control, and control our response to such situations with the power of our thoughts!
And, redefine our lives where “Stress is Not Normal!”