Stress is my top constraint, as I have a low threshold for stress. My endurance threshold for any stress-related activities is low, and the corresponding signs below follow:
- throbbing occipital headaches
- imbalance or loss of coordination
- irritability
Once I begin to experience one or all of the above symptoms, I know I have reached my stress threshold and could break down at any time. Common scenarios occur when I am overloaded with work and sometimes, when I am driving and I begin to feel reckless with the aim of just reaching my destination as soon as possible and resting. At such hours, I hate to receive calls or have anything to do with people. My productivity gets to zero, and perhaps I become more or less a burden to life and the people around me.
My first approach to managing stress is IDENTIFICATION of stressors and stress. Once I am able to experience the aforementioned symptoms, especially when they worsen, I seek desperately to relieve myself of those stressors. My stressors come mainly from work, travel, family obligations, medical emergencies of loved ones, relationships with friends and loved ones, financial responsibilities, and, a few times, society. Identifying these common stressors often puts me on alert, unless I lose guard and fall victim to stress.
ACTIVITIES SHUT DOWN TO PREVENT BRAIN SHUT DOWN
My mom, who is a retired nurse, always tells me that 'the first treatment in medicine is rest'. Though I'm a medic, I do not agree with her less. Stress is a mental strain on my health that readily results in organ dysfunction, which makes me seek adaptive measures. My most recent memory of activities shut down was on November 28, 2023, when I anchored a reconciliation exercise in my office between a health insurance organization and a tertiary facility. I was the anchor and doubled as the medic to get bills, which cumulated into indebtedness, and you know, when money is involved, one must be careful to stay on track of truth and fairness. Unfortunately, I planned to travel with my team on a field assignment, which later got hijacked by the reconciliation exercise, and I informed my family about the travel. I forgot to inform my family about the change of plans as it came impromptu, and where I capped the error was shutting off my phone when I got back home as a result of extreme fatigue. All I needed was sleep—the kind of deep and uninterrupted sleep. My family was sick and worried and reached out to colleagues at my workplace at odd hours of the night, who eventually allayed their fears. I woke up refreshed but felt sorry for making my family (sister, mom, and dad) worried about my shut-down.
I still shut down occasionally when I am stressed, but oftentimes, I inform my close relatives and friends that I'll be off social media for a while.
MY GO TO ACTIVITIES WHEN I AM STRESSED
If my body is unwilling to sleep immediately, my go-to activities are simple and usually do not require a third party to be around. A cycle on my bicycle around my compound usually realigns my concentration into the bicycle I am riding, a form of meditation and an escape from troubling thoughts. I usually circle the compound about ten times and occasionally have Simisola's (a Nigerian musical artist) play via my Bluetooth. A quick refreshing shower usually helps to calm my banging headaches, and I am often left with the choice of sleeping immediately, depending on how exhausted I am, or playing a movie of choice to lead me to sleep land. An evening stroll to the neighborhood without my phones to distract is an occasional activity I engage in.
DEFERRING ACTIVITIES
I cannot rule out the requirements of some things when I am stressed. Health is wealth, and you will agree with me. There are, however, some appointments that need to be tidied up before I go to sleep, for example. Prioritizing based on urgency helps me hastily attend to those that are extremely urgent with the risk of a mediocre approach while I leave the others to the following day or when I am much relieved. I usually feel the burden of disappointment hanging on my neck if such urgent matters are not resolved, which may give me more headaches.
STRESS FORECAST
There are times when some days approach with an aura of stress. When I have occasions like that, I try to rest well (including having adequate sleep) before such days so as to ameliorate the impact of such stressful events or days. Keeping a positive mind is difficult, but it helps me look a little more cheerful while enduring such stressful moments.
AVOIDING STRESS AT WORK
At my workplace, I try to steer clear of work that is not directly related to me, which helps me shed off work that could be an extra burden to me. My colleague has told me several times that I declined to do some work that was obviously not within my jurisdiction. Doing such work would make everything seem okay at work and make me appear like a super hero, but I would end up being stressed further. Leaving out such work has also put my colleagues on their toes, bringing about an eventual success and glory at work.
Stress is a life factor we cannot do without; it affects productivity, and for me, a positive mindset often sets me on the path of productivity.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.
ALL IMAGES USED ARE MINE