For Release August 20, 2002

Stress: The Quiet Killer

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

Stress is a nasty little creature. It’s a parasite that lives in each and every one of us. Oh, it isn’t an alien invader, just a naturally occurring critter. You can’t get rid of it, but you can learn to deal with it and keep it under control.

Stress likes to stay hidden. It disguises itself in a hundred different ways. In many ways it is like a computer virus that tries to stay hidden from view while quietly using up many of your system resources. You don’t immediately recognize stress itself. You find your mind keeps wandering back to the same issues and away from whatever it is you are working on. You find that you may have trouble getting to sleep at night or wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep.

You become grouchy and irritable snapping at the spouse, family, coworkers, even the family pet. You can even wind up with many health disorders. While those health disorders can be dealt with, they are often not the problem, but symptoms of the problem. Once you finally deal with the problem, the symptoms will often go away.

In mild versions, stress is an annoyance. In its more serious versions it can kill. It can be a direct killer or an indirect killer. It can distract you to the point that you aren’t paying attention to what you are doing. If you are sitting at a computer, typing, distraction isn’t much of a problem. If you are operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment, distraction can be fatal. All of a sudden you are violating every safety rule in the book and then an accident, often a serious accident occurs. The cause of the accident is listed as inattentiveness or operator error. But that is just the symptom. The real cause of the accident is stress.

Nobody likes to admit that they are suffering from stress. Men are especially bad at admitting that. Trust me, I know! We all like to be known as easy going individuals that just go with the flow. But underneath that easy going demeanor there may be a volcano about to explode. We all need to acknowledge that we experience stress at different times. Recognition is the first step in dealing with stress.

Next, each person must learn how to deal with their own stress. We all have many different coping techniques. One of the most important things that I feel everyone has to do is to develop a safety valve. Find at least one person that you can talk to about what is stressing you. That person may be a spouse, a friend, or maybe even someone you barely know, but you feel safe in talking with them. Sometimes admitting to another person that you are being bothered by something is all that it takes to deal with the stress. But you have to find that safety valve!

There are plenty of things in this world that can cause us stress. A long hot dry summer will do it for 95% of the population. There is nothing that anybody can do about the weather, yet for many people the weather dictates life and vocation. So talk with someone about it. It isn’t a gripe session, you aren’t complaining, you are just worried, maybe even scared and you need to talk. Men, you aren’t less of a man just by admitting that you’re worried about the weather or whatever is stressing you. It takes a brave person to admit their fears.

Stress is everywhere and it affects everyone. Think of what our lives have been through in the past year. There is stress and there is fear. But trying to battle it all by yourself can quickly put you in a losing position. Acknowledge your stress, face your stress and with friends by your side, you can survive the stress. You should be the victor in this battle, not stress!

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