S T R E ss

by Andrew Sordyl

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So how should one deal with stress?

There are many methods, but here are four ways that each one of us can adopt

1)       A good sense of humour

2)       A good diet

3)       Alternate stresses

4)       Relaxation skills.

The formal education system that prevails has failed us, and is sadly failing to prepare our children to cope with stress. We don’t tend to be proactive in such matters; rather we are satisfied with putting a plaster on the hurt when it occurs. Along with the three R’s, the above four subjects should form a core of the stress control curriculum in our schools.

We are conditioned towards the belief that the mature adult is serious and stolid, and that a pillar of society who is responsible and dependable “takes life seriously”. Research suggests that laughter increases the body’s level of endorphins. This can in fact “ease the pain” and increase the resistance to disease. Humour certainly ignites the will to live, which if missing, makes the recovery process much more difficult.

Diet is obviously important but is the subject of a separate discussion, so will not be covered now.

The first step in stress control is often to break the pattern that causes the stress. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, but consider that in order to survive and remain healthy, the stressful situation or lifestyle must have a de-stressing element. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus had the same idea when he wrote ‘Men do not know, how what is at variance agrees with itself, for in stress opposites combine to produce a motion which is a harmony’........  ‘It is the opposite which is good for us’.

If one is under a great deal of daily stress, it is not good enough to lie down and stare at the ceiling or rattle around the TV remote control all evening. The mind continues to rehash the day’s problems and thus perpetuates the stress. One way to unwind is to switch to an alternate stress, which should be something that requires full concentration, but that involves different circuits of the brain and body. Thus whether active sport or a sedentary cerebral pursuit, as long as it contrasts to the original stressor, it can have tremendous value in reducing distress.

As already mentioned the de-stressing element must be an opposite, but it must also be of sufficient quantity to cause balance and harmony. It can take the form of such diverse activities as jogging, working out in a gym, yoga, martial arts, prayer, listening to music, power nap, drama, debating, or doing favourite odd jobs around the house. Pursuits such as squash, tennis, football and other sports can produce their own stress from the competitive element, which is opposite in nature to the daily distress from the work environment (be it office or home) and together with exercising the body provide a powerful balance to maintain health in body and mind.

Last, but perhaps the most important is knowing how to relax. To relax means to make less tense, and the best and perhaps only long term effective way is through meditation. The Buddhist philosophy teaches that all the pain of this cyclical life will be overcome when we reach enlightenment through meditative practices upon such stressors as Jealousy, Resentment and especially Desire. It matters not if your beliefs are Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist or any other, you can still meditate to relax.

Stress is manifest within our mind, and only through controlling our mind can it be dissipated.

The eighth-century Buddhist master Shantideva said: -

“If this elephant of mind is bound on all sides by the cord of mindfulness,

All fear disappears and complete happiness comes,

All enemies of our emotions, and all the keepers of hell;

the demons and the horrors,

All of these are bound by the mastery of your mind,

And by the taming of that one mind, all are subdued,

Because from the mind are derived all fears and immeasurable sorrows.”

There are many books on meditation but there is no substitute for a teacher, a person who can introduce and guide you through the myriad of techniques for stilling the mind and looking into and getting to know the person within us, who is the perpetrator of all our problems.

Man however is not an Island and it is not always possible to resolve our problems without help either on the physical level or the energetic level (that part of us which alternative medicine such as Acupuncture, herbs and Homeopathy addresses).

Autogenic training, stress counselling, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, exercise all work to resolve the stressful situation. However I feel that whatever we do there must be that time in each and every day that is yours. The time when you don’t do anything for anyone else, but just do it for yourself.  

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Andrew Sordyl is a well respected, highly qualified and experienced exponent of his profession. After a very successful career in the computer industry, he went back to full time education at the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This was followed by two years part-time postgraduate study at the London College of Traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He did post graduate clinical training at the second affiliated hospital in Nanjing China and in the Colombo general hospital in Sri Lanka, before setting up practice in Surrey in 1994.
He has trained in, and mastered all the disciplines of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) including Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Tuina, nutrition, meditation, Qi Gong, as well as Shiatsu, Yoga and western massage. He has a background in Homeopathy and in 1997 he completed training in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), which he uses as an adjunct to his practice.
Because of his former extensive experience in business, and as a family man, he brings great insight and empathy to his work.