Stress Relief – An Industry for Self Inflicted Stress

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Article Title:

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Stress Relief – An Industry for Self Inflicted Stress

Article Description:

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In our material world, it is no wonder that stress relief

has become big business. Suffering stress has become

habitual in Western society. Mostly, it is self imposed,

a fabrication of the modern Western way of life.

Additional Article Information:

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658 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: Tue May 3 03:24:55 EDT 2005

Written By: Roy Thomsitt

Copyright: 2005

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Stress Relief – An Industry for Self Inflicted Stress

Copyright © 2005 Roy Thomsitt

Change Direction

http://www.change-direction.com/

Stress is a big business in Western society. We live what we

regard as hectic lives, that prime us with stress. That stress,

to those who recognise its presence, requires relief. We are

competitive beyond true need, and that too pumps more stress

into us. We live lives that are devoid of spirituality, and that

allows stress to infiltrate deeply into our daily existence,

often to roam uncontrolled throughout our minds and bodies.

In our material world, it is no wonder that stress relief has

become big business. Suffering stress has become habitual in

Western society. Mostly, it is self imposed, a fabrication of

the modern Western way of life. By and large, much of the stress

experienced in Europe, North America, and Australia, is self

imposed. There are signs too that in other rich countries, such

as Japan and South Korea, the same thing is happening.

Almost 5 years ago I left England to live in the Philippines. My

time here has taught me a lot about stress and its existence in

England and other Western countries. My learning has come at

three different levels:

1. Personal Stress Relief

I recall with total clarity my first visit to the Philippines,

and especially my first visit to Palawan, where I have now

settled. I remember the wonderful feeling I had, of being alive,

in tune with myself, and totally stress free. Like many in

England, I had lived for many years in a zombie like existence,

trying to earn money, and working for other people. Often

commuting long distances and for many hours, I had gradually lost

my sense of existence as an individual. Some relief to that had

come when I was able to start my own business with my ex-wife,

and then to move to a beautiful location on the south coast. That

relief did not last long, as divorce and all its ramifications

brought a resurgence of stress.

When I arrived in Palawan, in the second part of a three week

stay in the Philippines, that had all gone. Making a decision to

come and live here permanently was easy, and it was done with

complete clarity and full awareness. Talk about instant stress

relief.

2. Stress In Perspective - Genuine Stress Of The Truly Poor

Stress has been around, no doubt, since early man lived in caves.

The stress of survival. That is what true stress, or rather

justified stress, is about. The need to survive, to hunt for

a meal, to defend against attack.

Most families in the Philippines are very poor. I mean, really

poor, not what we in England regard as poor. A poor person in

England would seem very rich to many Filipinos. Most Filipino

families live in housing conditions that would not be considered

fit for a garden shed in England. While starvation is not

generally an issue, malnutrition is widespread. Many families do

not know from day to day if they will have enough food. If anyone

in the family is ill, many will not be able to pay doctors fees

or hospital fees. That is a basis for justified stress.

There is genuine scope for stress here in the Philippines, and

of course it does exist. Unlike in England, though, it is not

usually self inflicted at an individual level. Most people still

manage to be hospitable, to smile, and to give thanks for what

they do have. The generosity of the poor always impresses me. It

is a humbling experience to witness.

Living here has made me feel guilty for my own country that it is

riddled with stress, and that stress relief is such big business.

The stress back home in England was unnecessary, and born out of

greed, materialism, and a complete focus on self. I am grateful

to the Filipinos for helping me to put that into perspective.

3. Spirituality In Stress Relief

Here in the Philippines, the people as a rule have open hearts.

They are by nature spiritual, as are many Asian cultures. Many

Westerners would dismiss such open heartedness as naive,

primitive, innocence, and ignorance. It is those Westerners,

though, who are living through ignorance. Ignorance of

themselves and what their humanity is capable of.

I have come to believe, from observation in both England and the

Philippines, that through allowing your spirituality to flow

naturally, stress is reduced. Exploring spiritual avenues aids

perspective in one's own life. Spiritual avenues are a major

source of stress relief, partially by the positive reaction they

can bring within an individual's life, and partially filling

gaps in individual's existence that would otherwise be flooded

by negative thoughts, and thus by self inflicted stress.

Much of the Western stress, I believe, comes from a

disassociation from a substantial part of our own humanity.

Western life has become based on a minimal part of the human

character, a tiny proportion of the scope of the human brain.

In other words, Western life has become full of emptiness.

Much of the self inflicted stress stems from that void.

© Roy Thomsitt 2005

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Roy Thomsitt is the owner and part author of

http://www.routes-to-self-improvement.com

and owner and author of http://www.change-direction.com

An English expat, he works full time online from Palawan,

a tropical island in the South China Sea, combining his

creative and business backgrounds.