Do Not Stress Out, We Will Survive!

“When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,

A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.

And all the birds in the trees, well they’d be singing so happily,

Joyfully, playfully watching me.

But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible,

Logical, responsible, practical.

And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,

Clinical, intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world’s asleep,

The questions run too deep

For such a simple man.

Won’t you please, please tell me what we’ve learned

I know it sounds absurd

But please tell me who I am.

Now watch what you say or they’ll be calling you a radical,

Liberal, fanatical, criminal.

Won’t you sign up your name, we’d like to feel you’re

Acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!

At night, when all the world’s asleep,

The questions run so deep

For such a simple man.

Won’t you please, please tell me what we’ve learned

I know it sounds absurd

But please tell me who I am.”

How many of you are old enough to recognize the above song “Logical,” written by Roger Hodgson for the English Rock Band Supertramp in 1979?   We have just survived the most emotional presidential campaign in modern American History, or have we?  Many of us on opposite political sides are doing much soul searching.  Like Hodgson, we start reflecting on our identity and what we truly stand for. Who are we?  What do we believe in?  What would make our world a better place for us and for our children and the generations after? Did we vote for the right candidate? When will our country heal instead of being a “Half and Half” country as it is now? 

In the morning after the election, I woke up from a three hour sleep, to send my friends in our “Lady Docs” group my usual long email and my reflection on the election outcome.  Since then, there have been more than fifty responses, some replied privately while others emotionally replied to all.  My group of friends is full of intelligent, thoughtful and kind-hearted women healthcare providers who are really passionate for our country and the happiness for all her citizens.  We desperately want to have a happy, healthy, compassionate and civil society. 

The stress level in our group has been very intense as shown in the emails, making it appropriate for me to reflect on some basic solutions to lower our stress at this time of national turbulence.

Fortunately, I listened to an interview on Friday’s NPR Science Hour, three days after the election. A very thoughtful researcher from Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education was the guest. The researcher discussed the intense stress caused by a social distrust in those whose candidate lost the election.  This social distrust can run so deep, resulting in the person’s need to have an “outlet” to transfer his negative feelings.  The intensely stressed individual from social mistrust can feel threatened and may end up responding by committing destructive acts. 

The researcher offered several ways to bring on a more healthy outlet for our stressful minds: 

Exercise: Numerous studies, and maybe too many studies to cite here, have shown how physical exercise can greatly relieve stress.  Many scientists believe exercise can lower one’s cortisol level, a hormone known to cause stress.  It also elevate your endorphin level which is a “happy” hormone.

Many scientists would go further and recommend “mindfulness” kind of exercises, as in this Harvard HealthBeat article, such as Yoga, meditation, Tai Chi or Chi Gong, “active” meditation such as walking or jogging while focusing in yourself and the surroundings.  Concentrate on your breathing.  Take deep breaths and realize the world will remain intact tomorrow.

Family and Friends as a support system: Social bonding is among the most important factors in the equation of happiness.  When the world is falling apart around you, you need a safe refuge with those who care about you.  Take a long walk with your children, go to yoga classes or hike a mountain with your friends.  Marching peacefully as we have seen on the streets all over the country, probably is seen as a way to relieve stress and anger by these protesters.

Volunteering Activities: who needs help in our community? Who have been forgotten?  Giving, especially when Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, is a positive way to relieve stress since it will give us more joy.  As the Stanford psychologist said, a morally uplifting act will lead to a more constructive outcome for both us and the recipients.  Reach out to local food banks or homeless shelters.  Reach out to those who feel as if they were forgotten, as this presidential election shows how “forgotten” people can decide the outcome of an important election.

If you are politically inclined, you should get involved in organizations for causes you believe in.  Are you passionate about environmental issues?  Do you believe in global warming as many scientists have tried to communicate to the public? If you do, be actively informed about studies on environmental issues, be engaged with groups fighting for the environment, join them to speak against policies that will lead to destructive effects on the world we will be leaving behind for the next generations.  

A recognition that people can change: Some studies have shown that people can change.  Be hopeful that those whom you feel are “misguided,” can see the truth and turn out for the better.  Of course, recognize we might be the misguided ones and learn to accept the “better” solutions for our world.  President-elect Trump, for example, already stated yesterday how he will not repeal the whole ObamaCare legislation, that certain features will need to stay.  See, he has not gotten to his first day in office and already he has changed one of his most important messages during his campaign.

Other helpful ways, I believe, to relieve your stress: 

Sleep well : Try to sleep seven to eight hours a night instead of staying up texting and emailing your sad state of mind to your friends.  Studies even show how those who lack of sleep have a higher tendency for bad habits such as heavy drinking or drug abuse, and a higher rate of depression.  Besides, if you want to fight for your cause and passion, you need a good memory from a good night of sleep to be logical. 

Mindfulness on the passing of time: This is my own survival category whenever things get tough for me.  Concentrate on our moments.  What can we do to make us feel better for now? Whoever or whatever bothers us will soon be passing too.  Stay mindful of our purpose in life and do not lose heart.  Be aware of our values and stay focused on not losing them.

This morning, to relieve my stress, I listened to NPR TED hour’s segment called “Finite.”   Ironically, this segment was about the limited resources in our environment.  Environmental issues, which were largely ignored during the election campaign, will be hot topics in the next four years of Mr. Trump’s presidency.  The TED speakers in this segment were all outstanding.   

As usual, I learned so much from the knowledgeable TED speakers.  Did you know it takes more water in California to grow Alfalfa for the Middle East’s livestock needs than the water consumed yearly by all Californians? It’s an astounding and troublesome fact, given the severe water shortage the world is experiencing.  I particularly like Mark Plotkin’s talk on the fascinating medicinal plants in the Amazon forests.  We physicians should be aware how we can cure so many ailments using plants from this most bio-diverse rain forest.  He told stories about tribes living their isolated lives and never coming across other cultures outside the Amazon forest.  The survival of their refuge, however, depends on how knowledgeable we “civilized” people are on environment issues.  

Maybe our first step to healing is to make efforts to save the world itself from being destroyed needlessly and carelessly by those who refuse to learn their sciences.  God, in my opinion, is for comfort and not for saving our environment.  We are responsible for the survival of many species including ours.  Take a stand for our environment as it is an important responsibility we bear for the next generations.  Be informed, engaged and ready to take that stand.  Do not be afraid, as silence is not always golden.  Enjoy the NPR TED Hour link below.  Like me, you will learn a lot.  These speakers are not nerdy, boring intellectuals as many would like us to believe.  They are indeed interesting story tellers using good scientific evidence. 

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2016-11-10

I hope you like the SuperTramp’s Logical Song. Open the link I sent and enjoy listening to the song while reflecting on who you are.

In peace, with hope,

Thu