- A recurring theme in my interactions with corporate professionals, students and business owners.
It feels like we are all hunters fending off threat most of the time - be it in the form of bosses, work colleagues, family, friends, neighbours, teachers and strangers.
Our sense of threat has heightened. Irrespective of how qualified, accomplished and successful we are, we are constantly on the hamster wheel. There is no resting on our laurels. We need to perform at our peak, all the time. And yet, that may not be enough, with the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, like a layoff, an organisation restructuring, a downturn, an exam, an appraisal.
The body and mind, which have been wired over millennia, perceive these threats just like the wild animals we encountered in ancient times. Fight, flight or freeze are the common responses that we generate automatically. Imagine feeling threatened at all times, without a breather. That is the origin of modern day stress.
Stress is a topic that is also close to my heart as I spent several decades feeling stressed.
If we look at our history, from 200000 years ago to 10000 years ago, we were largely hunter gatherers. We hunted for survival, gathered as much as we could forage and spent the rest of the time in leisure. Leisure meant socialising with our family, spending time in nature, sitting around the fire, singing, dancing and telling stories, among other things.
For most part of the last 10000 years, we turned into agriculturists, settled down into villages and fought wars for various reasons. Even in this era, there was time for leisure, rest and following the rhythms of nature.
In the last 100 years of industrialisation, this balance changed dramatically. And especially so, in the digital era, where our brains cannot simply “log out of the factory” or the battlefield or the wild hunting ground, but have to be always on and accessible. We are carrying our work home, metaphorically and literally.
Where is the sanctuary where we feel safe or rested?
While stress might feel like the way of life, we can start by becoming aware of it and finding strategies to manage it. I have seen many clients feeling less stressed by consciously taking charge of their lives.
Here are some thought starters:
List down your sources of threat
What do you need to change in your perception about this situation?
What do you need to do to define better boundaries?
How can you bring back balance to your daily routines?
I am a trained Coach, holistic Healer who has been supporting clients with their stress management, emotional well-being and career growth needs for over 5 years. Feel free to reach out to me on DM or write to me at thejasvi@beinglight.in
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Pic: Watercolour painting is my way of restoring balance to my life