“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go
faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better
when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance” - Brian
Tracy.
There is a new popular addiction; but unlike most other addictions this addict is often praised for their frantic energy and non-stop activity… There are many adrenaline addicts that walk among us; we see them tapping their feet in long supermarket cues or speeding up to catch the orange light at intersections, most of them can’t go a day without the drama of completing several daily tasks with a sense of urgency! However, just like most addicts there are health repercussions in living in a state of being constantly ‘on’. Some of these involve health risks associated with most stress disorders – ulcers, heart attacks… but the emotional effect of being a human-doer rather than a human being is far greater. When the true definition of wellness has been proven to stem from a balance of mind, body and spirit, the adrenaline addict falls off the wagon to finding true happiness.
Epinephrine or adrenaline is a hormone and a neurotransmitter (Wikipedea). Adrenaline increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system (Wikipedea). Without adrenaline we wouldn’t be alerted to grab a child's hand at the curb when a car races by, we wouldn’t feel energy when facing certain challenges such as a big presentation at work or a stressful conflict and we wouldn’t get a cushion effect when we receive bad news (“Hurry up and Be Still: Freedom From Adrenaline Dependence- William Gaultiere, Ph. D.). However, the problem with modern living and our busy lifestyles is we crave this constant state of urgency where we view every daily stress as an emergency; we multi-task to save time, stimulate ourselves with caffeine (an adrenaline stimulant), we cut sleep hours to get more done and then we grind our teeth through our sleep dreaming about tasks forgotten! The sense of urgency inspires a manic energy that keeps us going to such an extreme that we never switch off! Panic becomes the new initiative and the stress becomes an admired relentless energy.
Many business people depend on adrenaline to get through their 50-hour work week (“Hurry up and be Still: Freedom from Adrenaline Dependence- William Gaultiere, Ph. D.), and many people get hooked on adrenaline because it feels good to feel energised. However, like other compulsive behaviours several symptoms surface that suggest a less than fulfilled life. When adrenaline addicts slow down they are not happy so when they do relax they can experience actual withdrawal symptoms such as; a compulsion to get busy or be more stimulated by noise and activity, emptiness, boredom or depression, feelings of guilt about being idle, irritability or loss of temper, worrying about work that needs to be done, fidgetiness or restlessness, utter exhaustion (“Hurry up and Be Still: Freedom From Adrenaline Dependence- William Gaultiere, Ph. D.). As well as the emotional symptoms, the body can suffer from things such as anxiety, rapid heartbeats, headaches, backaches, gastric diseases and sleep problems, not to mention dramatic stress related illnesses such as viruses, ulcers, heart disease and cancer (“Hurry up and Be Still: Freedom From Adrenaline Dependence- William Gaultiere, Ph. D.).
An adrenaline addict could be seen as a human-doing, not a human-being. The definition of a state of wellness is balancing our mind, body and spirit. Wellness can be described as the state that combines health and happiness (Wikipedia) and focusses on minimizing the effects of physical stress which causes nervous system irritation, chemical stress which causes body toxicity and mental stress which can induce hormonal changes in the adrenal glands. Wellness programs allow individuals to take increased responsibility for their health behaviours; whether this be to alleviated stress through meditation or conflict workshops, to combat obesity by taking up a physical regime or by combatting other habits that affect health such as smoking or alcohol addiction through counselling or a step program. Wellness is about finding a sense of balance and the following factors are said to contribute; living in a clean environment, eating organic food, regularly engaging in physical exercises, balance in career; family and relationships and developing a sense of spirit by cultivating religious beliefs or personal philosophies. There are many dimensions that create a human being; by cultivating all of them we create a state of contentment.
We live in a fast-paced world where we have learned to admire individuals that show an abundance of energy. We have possibly offered these individuals career promotions, responsibilities and ‘opportunities’ way beyond human capabilities… but that is just it… what we have asked has been way beyond what a human-being is capable. There are only so many hours in the day, and only so many aspects of our lives can receive our full attention… and then we feel guilty for not being everything to everyone! An adrenaline addict is not a superhuman-being. It is an individual addicted to the energy that panic prevails. A truly well individual is someone who recognises that sometimes you have to switch off, let go and enjoy peace of mind. It is a gifted, happy individual that can give space and recognize it, appreciate peace and seek it, seek knowledge and manifest it, be true to all aspects of life without giving in to the fast-paced urgent pull that leads us to be solely consumed by work or family responsibilities. Balance is the key.
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