Stress at the Turn of the Century
I’ve written a lot about stress, especially stress related to addiction and secondhand drinking | drugging. And I’ve also emphasized that it’s “life” stressors that often trigger the use of alcohol or drugs or unhealthy coping skills to dampen the triggering emotions. Which brings me to the point to this post…
Stress at the Turn of the Century – 1900
I am a big-time history buff and especially enjoy learning about it through the lives of the people who lived it (hence my earlier research and writing of biographies on leaders of the women’s and civil rights movements). I am currently reading The Bully Pulpit, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and was struck by this excerpt:
“This extreme treatment [referring to the ‘rest-cure,’ which required patients to be isolated for weeks or months with no reading or writing and a milk-only diet] was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the century. Commentators and clinicians cited a number of factors related to the stresses of modern civilization: the increased speed of communication facilitated by the telegraph and railroad; the ‘unmelodious’ clamor of city life replacing the ‘rhythmical’ sounds of nature; and the rise of the tabloid press that exploded ‘local horrors’ into national news.” (Goodin 328-29)
Stress at the Turn of the 21st Century
What struck me was the reasons cited for the increase in “nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the century.” Don’t they sound familiar!
Today, it is still “the increased speed of communication,” but it’s an increase on steroids with the many many ways we are now in constant contact via email, FB, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, smartphones, etc. And it’s not just constant contact, it’s the expectation we fire back within the hour (or at least the day) what at one time took days to ponder, write, re-write and then snail mail with days allowed for the recipient to ponder, write, re-wire and then snail mail their reply (I remember those days early in my management career.) The room for misinterpretation, today, and the fact that mistakes or anger-fueled comments/replies are now part of the wild world of the Internet – forever! …. now that’s what I call big-time stress.
It is still “the ‘unmelodious’ clamor of city life replacing the ‘rhythmical’ sounds of nature.” The 1900 U.S. census showed the resident U.S. population to be 76,212,168. At the turn of the 21s Century, it was over 281,000,000. Today it’s over 317,000,000. And we all know what that stress is about – horrific commute traffic, crowded public transportation alternatives, jostling crowds and NOISE – noise everywhere.
And, it’s still “the rise of the tabloid press that exploded ‘local horrors’ into national news,” but today, it’s not just local, it’s international, and it’s not just the tabloid press, it’s 24 hour news cycles on thousands of TV, Radio, Internet and Social Networking cites and feeds.
I guess we can be thankful the “rest-cure” is no longer considered state-of-the art treatment. I mean, yikes – a milk-only diet for weeks or months! Again, quoting from Goodwin’s book, “…the assumption [was] that ‘raw milk is a food the body easily turns into good blood,’ which would restore positive energy when pumped through the body.” (Goodwin 328)
What Can We Do?
Call a time out on stress – even if it’s just 10 minutes a day.
Given what we now know about the brain and the facts of what happens to the brain and thus a person’s overall physical and emotional health when under stress, it is imperative we do whatever we can to find ways of reducing the impacts of stress in our lives. I know – this sounds overly simplistic, and it is, but it’s also what we need to do, as hard as it is given what we’re up against, today.
Dr. Tian Dayton’s article, “How Modern Lifestyles Activate Ancient Stress Responses,” offers some great suggestions, in addition to the science of why / how stress affects the brain and therefore one’s physical and emotional health. Though specific to addiction and secondhand drinking | drugging recovery, you may find the suggestions in my article, “Understand Brain Maps | Change a Habit | Change Your Life,” helpful for their role in helping one re-wire embedded brain maps around stress coping skills.
I guess I would suggest, at minimum, find some time in every day – even if it’s just 10 minutes – to somehow “be” in nature – whether it’s a park, on a nature trail, in your backyard or in your dwelling staring at your potted plants. For that time, set aside all devices, call a time out on stress, and just “be.”
Lisa Frederiksen
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