Time Magazine’s June 6, 1983 cover referred to stress as “The Epidemic of the Eighties” and America’s #1 health problem.
While it is well documented that stress kills people, it isn’t customarily noted as the cause of death on the Death Certificate. Stress physically weakens the immune system and circulatory system, increases the risk factor for heart attack and stroke, causes damage to cells and muscle tissues, and has a myriad of other debilitating effects on the human body.
Clearly, most people would like to be rid of their stress. This is evidenced by the number of people who participate in stress management programs along with hundreds of other stressed-out individuals. They consult with stress management experts to learn how to manage their stress more effectively. In case you haven’t noticed, there are plenty of stress management programs and experts available to advise you on managing stress, for a small or not-so-small fee.
What are you doing or what have you done in an attempt to manage your stress or to rid yourself of stress?
Clearly people who are other-dependent are stressed to the max. Their worry about others’ opinions of them, their need to look good, need to be right, and need to control the way things turn out are the root of their stress. This causes stress that affects people of all ages, gender, and lifestyles.
I would go one step further and say that other-dependency is the cause of stress as experienced in our contemporary society. As other-dependent individuals living in an other-dependent society, how do we become stress-free? Is this even possible?
