In brief, stress is often about what we anticipate, what “might” happen, what we fear could occur, what we have seen occur in the news (what is called vicarious stress-induction and traumatization). When there are many lurking lions all around in our environment, then we are likely to find high quality sleep to be a real challenge – and yet another source of stress. Sadly, it is a vicious circle: we are stressed out about being stressed and are stressed out because we are preoccupied with the stress, and are subsequently stress out about the impact of living under conditions of stress—especially when it comes to getting a good night of sleep.
So, what are we going to do about this very difficult situation? How do we kill the lions or at least shoo them away?
Doing Something About Stress
First, it is important to remember what we have already noted: there is both positive and negative stress. Certain types of stress can make you stronger and stress is an important part of our physical well-being. Physical and mental challenges can rewire your brain so you’re better prepared to handle whatever life throws your way. Nevertheless, it is also important to note that negative stress is an epidemic and a destroyer of sleep. It wrecks not only our sleep, but also our body and brain in more ways than one. Stress can be attributed to your hair falling out, your clothes becoming tight and your immune system and your hormones, gut, mood, and poor, overloaded brain) go haywire just to name a few. The physiological damage due to stress can be phenomenal. The good news is: you don’t have to let stress hold you back.
Managing stress is a matter of establishing daily or weekly habits with some well-known techniques. Many of us hear about these techniques but fail to employ them due to our stress level. The perpetual “Catch 22” is underway! As health care practitioners (who address sleep problems as well as other health-related issues) we tell our clients to pick one and start with that. It is too difficult to try to incorporate everything into the routine. Starting with one change can make a significant difference. Keep in mind that a habit is established after you incorporate that change for 21 days without a break. It is also important to remember that you can break a habit by not doing that same thing for 7 days. It is harder to establish the habit but once you have it as part of your routine you are more likely to keep it going.
