Common complaint
We hear a great deal today about stress as a factor in unhealthy lives. It is something difficult
to define or explain, and we nominate different aspects of it as emotional, physical, post-traumatic,
competitive, occupational and so on until the very idea grows in complexity.
Why, we ask, have the aspects of stress become a major issue for discussion today? So far as
physical peril and interpersonal arguments go, it can be argued that there must be less stress
than our ancestors encountered, since we occupy a more civilised environment than ever before — supposing
we set aside a few new developments such as terrorism and loutish misbehaviour. The primary stressors
of cold, starvation and physical exhaustion are now rare in developed societies. On the other
hand, the many new demands of technology make inroads on our peace of mind which our ancestors
could not have imagined.
Measurable physiological changes enable us to assess how stressed we are. Secretion of cortisol
and adrenaline is altered by any sensory overload or underload. A sense of helplessness in any
situation that arises is a potent factor in provoking the mental stress that increases our risk
of ill-health and altering the course of both somatic and mental disorders from which we may
suffer minor disabilities. It is seldom possible, however, to pinpoint any specific stressor
associated with our occupation or our leisure, and if we manage to do so the remedy may prove
impracticable and the resultant sense of helplessness can only make things worse. A sense of
having to compete with our fellows, allied to a sense of urgency less we be left behind in any
endeavour, leads to deterioration of which we should beware.
Strangely enough, there are many ways in which, if we make an effort, we can reduce our susceptibility
to stressors. They are so simple that most people tend to ignore or despise them. The main antidotes
of which I am aware are practising music or painting in water-colours or oils, gardening, cooking,
ironing, knitting, embroidery and other crafts that can be carried on quietly and without haste.
Their great virtue, indeed, is that they cannot be hurried, since haste and competition are the
things we need to avoid in seeking to diminish stress of living.
Several proverbial expressions are associated with the phenomenon of stress. There is "keeping
up with the Joneses", a saying which originated in the United States as long ago as 1913, and
which reflects the prevalent craze for cut-throat competition and showing-off.
Then we talk about "the rat race", meaning a relentless struggle to overcome rivals in business
or in social circles. Why rats should be involved is not clear. They were regarded as sacred
among the ancient Egyptians and Phrygians, but at the same time symbolising both wise judgement
and sheer destructiveness. For the Romans the appearance of a rat might denote coming good or
alternatively evil. And in later times the phenomenon of rats leaving a ship or an old house
was ominous of destruction to come.
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There has been much consternation among people who place value on the relics of human culture
at the widescale looting and smuggling of antique works of art and articles of immense historical
value from museums and art galleries lately, particularly in respect of the destruction that
has accompanied the liberation of Iraq. How effective measures to recover and restore some of
the
historical treasures will prove is unknown, and there is much pessimism that a great deal of the world's
heritage is gone for ever.
