A plan of action

In life situations with more ore less pronounced symptoms of stress it will help to have a clear plan of action. The first step in this should be to reduce the general stress load on mind and body. There is usally no point in trying to counteract high stress levels with demanding mental training and workout programs. It may contribute to the high level of stress. In most cases a necessary start is to focus only on relaxation and similar calming methods and this will be sufficcient in the short term. It lowers inner stress, offers more energi and may give a brighter and more clear view of life and existence. Body symptoms may also decline. But it is necessary to understand that only exercises made on a regular basis can give lasting results. If we don’t understand that, disappointment is waiting for us. It is also important to understand that relaxation techniques alone, or efforts made only for a limited time, do not guarantee a lasting alteration of stress-provoking inner images and feelings. Thus it would be wise to dedicate time and energy to learn more about oneself in order to identify those mental functions and mechanisms which are causes of our personal stress reactions. We have to understand these inner automatisms if we want to transform them.

The art of personal development is old. Philosophic theories, as well as theology and other concepts on life and living, have described this for thousands of years. Practical approaches for everyday use have been created as long. Unfortunately most of us are not getting familiar with this old wisdom until life becomes difficult and very often not even then. There are probably several reasons for this. One of them could be that this old knowledge is derived from different times and different cultures. Language and linguistic symbols, as well as abstract theories, may be totally incomprehensible for us. Another reason could be that work with oneself requires a motivated, regular, effort during a rather long time. Usually we prefer to see a doctor, or some other professional, hoping for some quick solution to our problems.

Methods and tools useful in coping with longstanding stress situations could be described as paths to wisdom. They usually consist of programmes which have to be implemented step by step in daily life. If the levels of stress and stress-related illness are not pronounced these methods will often function as well as ordinary medical treatment. But if the load of stress is so very high that physical or mental disease has emerged, it would definitely be unwise to refuse help offered by modern medical knowledge.

In recent times a better holistic understanding of synergistic systems and functions, not only in man but in all creation, seems to have awakened. In this physical dimension, of which we are part, we can see that all things, from the largest to the smallest, interact with each other in the form of dynamic moving systems. This can today be seen as one of the front lines in sciences investigating the physical and biologic functions of nature. Unfortunately it usually takes many years before an altered view on existence, nature and mankind permeates all levels of society.

Many of us have heard of Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other methods with more or less cryptic names. A lot of them are scientifically tested. But most of these ”modern” methods are designed to aim at limited parts of human function. Seen in a holistic way it should be obvious that all our levels of function must be adressed if we want to achieve lasting changes in our life systems. But again, this work has to be done in the right order. Attendance to theoretic lectures about stress-creating behaviour, and how to change this, can for example not be seen as a rational start for individuals suffering from very high inner stress. They usually have great difficulties to get enough sleep and rest which makes it hard for them to concentrate and focus mentally. The tolerance for intellectual understanding is of course often hampered in this situation. A more realistic start of bringing down high stress is to spend time on relaxation and moments of inner stillness. This differs from situations where a crisis has passed but practical needs in building a new, functional, everyday life are of prime importance.

To a certain extent modern medicine obstructs itself in its often demonstrated narrow view on diagnosis and treatment of stress-related illness and disaese. Looking on a human being as one dynamically moving coherent system, involving everything that we are, was once a normal philosophical way to understand life and the world. It was assumed that all things are connected and because of that it was important to respect these connections if balance and function in and between all systems were to be maintained. This is a holistic approach. But natural science came to be built on the assumption that we have to split up all things in smaller parts, examine these and then summarize what we have learned from them, in order to reach an understanding of the whole (René Descartes). Of course this is now a proven and successful method to produce fairly objective proof of how things interact in a certain way, especially if you have access to advanced technical devices and statistics. But studying the details of dynamically moving systems in a given short period of time still makes it difficult to measure and calculate their interactions with other systems over extended periods of time.  Furthermore, mental systems can not be explored by objective technologies as is the case with physical systems. There is no way for a technical approach to identify and make exact measurements of someones feelings and mental images. As individuals we are of cause capable to harbour our own unique understanding of the mechanisms of existence and life. Wether this then really represents a Truth or not creates a well-known basis for theoretical reasoning. Holistic assumptions are therefore difficult to prove with the techniques and instruments of natural science. Nevertheless are both a holistic and a technical approach needed if we want to arrive at an useful insight to what we are and where we are.

To summarize: the first thing that has to be done in life-situations dominated by stress is to lower the inner levels of stress in a general way. If this can lead to a phase with more inner calm it will be easier for us to focus on a more accurate analysis of outer and inner stressors. This will make it possible to create a plan of action, both for the acute situation and for times to come. Such a conscious plan of action is important, especially if there already are obvious symptoms of illness and disease. As our level of inner stress very often is dependent on both the actual physical, mental or social situation and our own inner reaction to this, we should not hand over this analysis only to professionals. We must also make our own assessment of the causes of the stress situation because we are the only ones who live it and experience it. It is necessary that we understand our reactions and actions as far as possible. In the long run it is not possible to resist stressors in the outer world if we don’t transform our ways to react to them. Thus we have to work on our own minds. But this is always a rewarding effort leading to a better life.