Eleven: "Light theDarkness" published in etWeek

The March 11, 2012 edition of etWeek includes an article I wrote about managing stress:

Light the Darkness

By Anne Starnes Kingsbury

          Life is about balance, the equivalent of happiness.  To maintain balance requires constant adjustment as new circumstances come to our attention.  Stress depletes our cognitive reserve, the mental and emotional defenses we use against the assaults of living.   Cognitive reserve includes self-control, optimism, resilience, and the perception of significant social support.  

We’ve all heard about the evils of stress that damage the body and the psyche.   But almost the worst of the baleful list is that feeling of dread, the darkness of mind, the absence of joy that makes life worth living and the air smell sweet.  Unmanaged stress progresses into anxiety.  Anxiety can develop into hopelessness and depression. 

All is not lost!  We are all born with cognitive plasticity!  We can alter how we think, which alters how we process what we feel, which alters our subjugation to stress.  Our thought processing is plastic.  We can train the brain to perform in sound and strong ways to live in a stressful world.  Practice causes evolution.  Our neural pathways can be restructured to keep us peaceful and happy.

The mind is resilient, especially when it becomes educated in the ways of function, emotion, and thought.  When we know what to expect, have methods to process stress as it arises, and have adequate self-knowledge we are equipped to withstand all challenges. 

When disaster strikes:

Perspective is everything.  As we think, so it shall be.  When a distressing situation, or state of mind arises, we can immediately light the darkness by remembering that anxiety is magnified by uncertainty.  By acknowledging that fearing what might happen is escalating intense stress, the magnitude of the stress is reduced at once. 

The next step is to take mental control by not allowing catastrophic thoughts to create panic.  Deep breathing, three deep, slow breaths should do, reduces the pitch of the anxious state further. 

Finally, relaxing the mind and body enough to use logic instead of emotion to examine a worrisome situation, perhaps at a later time, keeps anxiety at bay.  Stress is managed by logical thinking.

Learning to alleviate stress improves every other ill that you will ever suffer.  Stress management is preventative.  All the clenching of muscles is reduced, which gives the body a break.  Stress related illnesses such as heart disease are minimized.  Social interaction is improved, which benefits your career, and those you love.  The unavoidable slings and arrows in life are met with a strong and courageous spirit.