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Stumble It!Are You Addicted to Stress?
A little stress in your life is actually good for you. It wakes up your creativity, fuels your vitality and keeps your immune system vigilant. The qualifying word is little. When you find yourself rushing from activity to activity and no personal time for yourself, it's not the external world that is landing on your doorstep; rather it's your need to constantly open the door!
Most likely you are addicted to stress the adrenalin rush. If life were calmer and filled with free time, you probably would not know what to do with yourself.
The problem with any addiction is that the high is transitory and one always needs a bigger high to experience the rush. Addiction gives a person a false sense of control. Deep down the addict has lost personal power. A stress-addict is looking to feel numb through distraction to avoid dealing with the source of unhappiness and loss of control. It is easier to be incredibly busy than to face the painful layers of grief accumulated during the course of a lifetime. There are no new hurts; only old ones with a different cast of characters, conflicts and dramas.
| Stress-addiction is equivalent to "identity theft." This means you do not know who you are and where you are really going. Your basic fear lies at the root of your personality you are not good enough! Taking care of everyone and everything and keeping your mind occupied with your to-do list, you can avoid turning the focus inward and answering the ultimate question: Who am I really at the core of my being and where am I going with all this? | "Stress-addiction is equivalent to identity theft." |
Read on for some strategies to break the pattern of stress-addiction...
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This article is helpful to me because even though I may not be addicted to stress, stress in the form of daily work deadlines are a fact of life, and I don’t have the energy to keep up with housework when I get home. Some of my work has to be completed on the computer each day when I get home (I’m in sales). Can anyone relate?? I stay about 15 pounds overweight because I have a bad habit of “dealing with the pressure” by stress eating. I think that some of the suggestions for dealing with stress will help. I have recently started taking a hot bath just before bed every night which really helps me release the muscle tension and relax. Any other suggestions?