Ways of the silent assassin and 10 ways to combat it!

Posted on by

Ways of the silent assassin and 10 ways to combat it! #antistressIn this article we will discuss the ways of the silent assassin called stress and 10 ways to combat it effectively!

Can stress really kill you? You betcha! And it can kill you in the most sneaky and stealthiest of ways. If you allow it to, that is.

Table of Contents

An example of lethal stress

I remember reading about Martin Bentzen, a famous sous chef who died at the age of 32 from a heart attack due to his high stress! People tend to think that stress is something that only affects those of poor health but nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyone, regardless of their age and current state of health, when exposed to a certain amount of stress can be in the range of the silent killer. It can happen to everyone. In the case of the late Martin, the stress originated from the restaurant business.

Do you think that this person hated his job? Or perhaps you might think it was easy. Working in a restaurant is no joke and to make it to the top, you need to be really determined as well as put in the required hours of hard work.

This guy was working in Noma, one of the World’s biggest restaurants. So, in essence, he managed to get to the top, which debunks the myth that people who rank higher in the success ladder have the least amount of stress.

Eustress and Distress

Here is another misconception: There are 2 types of stress: eu-stress and dis-stress. Eu-stress is the stress you feel when you are doing something you love. Adrenaline goes through the roof and you are love every moment of it.

Dis-stress is what you feel when you are doing something you hate, something that makes you cringe just by thinking about it. However, the mechanics behind both situations are equal as they lead to the same endocrinological responses in the body, firing off adrenaline.

Too much adrenaline (as a result of stress) for prolonged periods of time can lead to:

  • Adrenal fatigue,
  • high levels of cortisol,
  • depression,
  • loss of libido,
  • fat around the belly,
  • high inflammation and its associated health problems,
  • pre-mature aging and
  • heart failure.

As you can see, even eustress can be harmful and there is a reason for that. When we are doing something we love, we feel invincible and we tend to think that we could do this forever. Some examples include: long workout sessions, endless hours of your favorite hobby or work (Martin worked 15 hours per day!). In the end, long hours of anything -good or bad- can actually kill you.

We become stress junkies (or adrenaline junkies), looking for a challenge everywhere we go. As a result, people dive into extreme sports, others like to gamble or go for unconquered mountain tops. Others – being on the safe side – live for the thrill of horror movies. In some cases watching horror movies can cause the same adrenaline response!

So why are we doing this? Simple, all these responses are connected to our dopamine levels in our brain. We want to feel good and some of us use such experiences to get to that place, especially higher ranked professionals such as CEOs and other entrepreneurs.

10 ways to minimize the effects of stress

Which brings us to the next step: How do we protect ourselves against the effects of stress?

Sleep and rest!

In this ultra-hectic and addictive society, there is a belief that if you sleep early or try to get 7-8 hours of sleep per day then you are either old or weird.

Basically, people think that sleeping is for pussies.

I have found myself in a situation where I had to explain why I don’t have a social life and why I prefer to get enough sleep.

It is also a lifestyle choice if you think about it. You can’t be out partying until the morning and get adequate sleep at the same time (at least not after a certain age). Or you can choose to ignore your sleep and rest and ‘reap the benefits of stress’ (and early aging).

I have spoken about the merits of sleep and why it is important to improve your sleep in another article.

Work smarter!

In the business world there is the 80-20 rule. The 20% of your work should be giving you the 80% of your results. In other words, work smarter, not harder.

Most normal human beings (those who are not using modafinil), can work staying focused for only 4 hours per day. That can be very challenging especially when you are expected to work 8-10 hours a day. By planning things better, you can spread your work out in such a way that you can be productive and efficient. Here’s how to do that:

First understand that after a certain point, your focus will diminish and so will your productivity. If you have an office job, start with the toughest tasks (mental or otherwise) at the start of your shift and leave the simple ones for later when your attention and productivity goes down.

If you are a CEO, learn to stop and take a break. I also spoke about the importance of taking a break and going on vacation once in a while for optimal health. Lay off the stimulants and stop powdering your nose or you won’t be around long enough to enjoy your riches.

If you are a blue collar worker, learn how to say no

You will be asked to work for long hours (or pretend to work for long hours). Sometimes it might be because of the demands of your project and sometimes because you need to clean up someone else’s mess.

Either way, you need to understand that it is NOT your fault when you are asked to work overtime especially if people managing your project are not doing their job right. If you are tired and you are asked to stay overtime, you still have the right to refuse and go rest. If you still want to work overtime, that is also your right and you can go ahead and do it.

Personally I find it stupid when people push themselves to the point of exhaustion only to get 1% extra work done and then they have to call in sick for 2 days. In some countries in Europe, working over a specific number of hours per week is illegal unless you consent to it.

For those doing manual labor, different rules apply as your job does not allow you to choose tasks. If that’s the case with you, just make sure you get enough breaks in between and not waste any energy.

Just work less hours!

You see, your boss or CEO lives for the excitement of working long hours as he is trying to close deals (REMOVE: a very painful process which usually includes eating out at expensive restaurants and exchanging expensive gifts ranging from white powders to dark sex slaves) and once he has done so, he tops it off with a few hours of non-stop celebration. But that fits his job description and get gets paid very heftily for it.

The same does not apply to you (if you are a simple worker) since you can be easily replaced when broken. This is where you need to think about your own health rather than your boss’ wealth. There is nothing more precious than staying in good health. Learning how to say NO is important and you might want to check out my previous article on that.

Some bosses try to entice their subordinates by giving them expensive gifts, trips and other stuff so that they (the workers) feel more obligated. Once again, it is a materialistic exchange and you should be fully aware that nothing is really free. You would have to work extra hard for the gift that you received (and in some cases never asked for).

At this point, I need to mention that not all managers and bosses are insensitive bastards who only care about money (and that white stuff they put up their noses). I have worked with people in the past that actually cared for the well-being of their workers and did everything to protect them.

Either way, it is up to you to decide what you do with your time and health but please do understand that once you have used up all your vitality, you will be dried out like an empty battery and be just as useful as one for your employer, regardless if they are good or bad.

Use herbs to help you relax

Reishi, Schizandra, Valerian are just a few of the wondrous herbs out there that can help you relax. Also adaptogens such as Ginseng, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha and even Mucuna can help you improve your reaction to stress and help you manage it better.

You can get all their benefits without the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. However, you need to do your research or ask a specialist so that you actually take the herb that is appropriate for your constitution and personal situation.

Balance your physical activity

If you are a sedentary person, physical activity and working out can be a good way to blow off some steam but you need to be careful to not over do it. If you are working late hours and not getting any sleep, spending hours in the gym lifting weights is the dumbest thing you can do for your health as it will wear you out faster than you can say ‘crap’.

Instead, you should be very cautious about your active workouts (such as weight lifting) and do your best to balance them out with some passive workouts. Example of passive workouts include Hatha Yoga, Tai-chi or simple walks in the park. These will help you increase your activity levels, blow off steam, protect your body from excess damage and allow you to recover faster.

Bulletproof your health by fixing your nutrition

Having a balanced nutrition is a must, especially for people under stress. The right foods can help you fight off stress while the wrong ones (processed and junk food) will only add to the problem by increasing inflammation and building up more plaque in your arteries.

When in doubt – go natural, aim to balance your macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein ) by upping your fat and protein intake to be in line with your carbs.

Eat more veggies and do not underestimate the importance of a healthy salad (see my article on the benefits of salads). Add more fruits to your daily diet and eat lean meats (chicken, fish or meat) or legumes if you are a vegetarian/vegan.

Avoid eating a lot at night and manage your portions wisely. I have plenty of articles on nutrition on this website and I always add ones to help you eat healthier.

Breathe and meditate

Just a few minutes of relaxed breathing can do miracles for lowering cortisol and stress levels. Start your day with a few exercises and you will be just fine.

Then you can add a few minutes of meditation (which has been shown to increase resistance to stress) and you will be adding an extra ally in your fight against the silent assassin.

Have more fun

Do this by yourself or better yet, do it with people you love! Social interaction has been shown to help people cope with stress and the bigger your social network, the better you can deal with your life experiences.

If you don’t have a lot of friends, you can still have fun by yourself. Just go out, watch a comedy, enjoy yourself and laugh! Laughing is precious as it can literally undo the oxidative damage of stress by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain. Exactly what you need.

Learn to say: FUCK IT!

If you have tried all of the above but still can’t deal with stress, try this on for a change: fuck it!

Just say fuck it and take off! Change your job, change environments, change your living situation, remove everything that causes you stress.

(if you want, check out this link for a book with that title.)

Ideally, you should be taking into account all the responsibilities in your life and making sure no one gets hurt in the process. This can be a huge step so it is really important to check that you got everything covered before you take off.

For example, if you are a father and you can’t handle your family, taking off might be a solution for you but if your family is not taken care of, you will be solving one problem (yours) at the expense of someone else.

There are many ways to bring a change in your life but it requires a lot of thought, proper planning and of course timing and execution.

Closing Thoughts

I hope that you can understand the lethal ways of the silent assassin and that you will take the appropriate measures to make sure that you are not added to his long list of victims.

Have you ever been in a situation where stress brought you to your knees? What did you do about it? Share your story in the comments section below.

I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did writing it. Putting together this article took a bit of time but it will only take you a second to click on the Share buttons below and show your support to this blog.

Also if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!

by Nick Sigma
CWC, EH, E-YRT200

Sources:

Copyright Disclaimer & Terms of Use:
This article is copyrighted property of Nick Sigma (© 2020 All rights reserved). Plagiarism, copying, distribution, storing or using this article partially or in its entirety in any form (including but not limited to web pages, ebooks, books or any form of digital or analog publication) without the explicit and written permission of Nick Sigma is prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you have any questions on guest blogging, back-linking and other types of cooperation please contact Nick Sigma. By reading any article on this website you automatically accept the Medical Disclaimer, Health Disclaimer, Terms of use, Limitation of Liability and Copyright Disclaimer as presented above and their extensive version as it appears in their respective pages.

Save

Comments are closed.