WELLNESS
Strategies to reduce stress
Why it is important to create healthy
By Dr . Eno Nsima-Obot
We all have priorities , but are they really healthy ? In today ’ s fast paced society we have such a need to stay constantly connected to our gadgets and social media , that we have lost the ability to establish healthy priorities and boundaries . Before I begin , here ’ s a quick tool to assess where you are right now : Take a look at the list of priorities below . Now think about where you are right NOW in your life . Not how you wish things were but your priorities right this minute . Using numbers 1-4 , where do you currently rank the following areas in your life ? ( For instance family-1 friends-4 self-3 etc . Note you cannot rank more than one area with the same number )
• Family
• Spouse
• Self
• Work ( include hobbies )
• Friends
The Oxygen Mask Story If you recall when you board a plane , one of the instructions given by the flight attendant before take off is the following : ‘ In event of a sudden loss of pressure , oxygen masks will fall from the panel in front of you . Please secure your mask first before turning to assist others with you .’
As a frequent traveler I ’ ve heard that message dozens of times , as I ’ m sure many of you have . I even began to block out those instructions . Until I gave birth to my daughter some twenty plus years ago . The first time I flew on a plane with her I listened absent-mindedly to the now familiar instructions . I mulled over the thought of having my oxygen mask on before I turned to assist her . Then I thought to myself almost in horror , What kind of mother would do that ?
Impossible , there was no way that I would put my oxygen mask on before I placed a mask on my baby girl . I mean as an adult , I reasoned that I had more breathing reserve than my baby girl . So I promised myself that if that were ever to happen , I ’ d change the rules . I would place my little girl ’ s mask on first .
Can you relate to my thought process ? Do you think that way at times ?
How often do we go around ‘ changing the rules ’ until stress begins to take a toll on our health and wellbeing ? So let ’ s revisit the ‘ oxygen mask ’ issue . Let me explain from a physiologic standpoint why it is very important to first secure your mask- no matter what .
At high altitudes , the amount of oxygen in the air is reduced . So there is less oxygen to breathe into our lungs . When there is not enough oxygen supply to the brain , it cannot function properly . So initially a person becomes disoriented , then confused and then finally slips into a coma . Once in a coma , the brain suffers from permanent damage .
Now let ’ s take a look at the air cabin as a metaphor for what goes on in our lives every day . Just like on the airplane , a sudden loss in cabin pressure happens frequently throughout the day in our lives . From the demands of our schedules , to running errands to the demands of our jobs to our children ’ s after school activities … The list goes on and on .
Just like a lack of oxygen supply to the brain , these frequent fluctuations in our life events can produce stress . Stress affects our wellbeing .
Our wellbeing is the foundation of who we are in the world . The stronger our sense of wellbeing , the more effectively we are able to function in our lives . And we also suffer less from stress . We become efficient we are in our families , our work , our communities and ultimately the world . It is all interconnected and has a ripple effect .
So where did you place ‘ self ’ on the list of priorities ? Are you making yourself your number one priority ? Or are other things competing for that spot ?
Some of us fear that when we place ourselves as priority number one , we may get labeled as selfish , or uncaring . In fact we fear that people may begin to gossip about us and cast us in an unfavorable light .
But it is important to make ourselves UNAPOLOGETICALLY our number one priority . If we do not take care of ourselves and make our wellbeing number one is that we eventually burn out . Now burn out looks like different things in different people . It also depends on whether the cause of burnout is related to work or personal life . Here are some symptoms of burnout :
• Getting angry easily
24 invests . ng - MARCH / APRIL 2017