Pushing Stress Out of the Way

Pushing Stress Out of the Way
Jean Louise Quino/Diabetic Products

If we look back to the past, our great ancestors had their fair share of horrors and tragedies. Just think of the holocaust, the Inquisition, the crusades, and incessant wars, not to mention the plagues and other calamities and disasters that have befallen mankind throughout history. Those were certainly more stressful times compared to what we have now, but at that time, coping with stress was furthest from their minds, if they ever heard of such. 

According to the director of CESAMES (a specialized research center), the main culprit for the dramatic increase in our modern times’ mental and social distress is the individualization of the human condition. “My hypothesis is that,” says Alain Ehrenberg, “as values of self-ownership of personal accomplishment, and of personal initiative have gradually become rooted in contemporary societies, a new type of social being has emerged.” Indeed, time has paved the way for this social being which fashioned “individualism”, gave it a form and enthroned it. Gone were the days of brotherhood, collective efforts and great ideals, where the achievement of one was the achievement of all. Society has disintegrated, and along with it, its values. So the individualist is left to fend on his own, but his enemies have multiplied. How then is one expected to cope with stress and its ensuing problems?

To attempt to address this predicament, let us go down to our body’s molecular and cellular level - the microcosm of our society.

Unlike this modern society of decaying morals, the cells and molecules of our body continue to work as one unit – they communicate and understand each other through electro chemical signals and electrical impulses. Sensory neurons from the outer parts of your body for example, send electrical signals to your central nervous system if you touch something hot. In turn, your central nervous system will send motor neurons to your fingers, telling them to remove themselves from the hot object. Imagine what would happen to you if each cell that comprised your body decides to become an “individualist social being”.  Thankfully, majority of your cells are working in harmony and unity with each other. On a bigger scale, so should you.

Every atom in every man’s flesh (if not in the whole universe) is made up of identical electrons - the same mass, the same spin, the same everything. The same electromagnetic force that holds you together is the same force present in all others. You are made up of the same invisible form of light, the same energy present in everyone. You are made up of light in its invisible form, therefore you are Light, as everyone also is. This is you. That means you are actually one with every person at a deeper level, that you are also in one and the other. Once you begin seeing yourself in others and seeing every person as yourself, your attitude towards the people around you will begin to change – you will be more forgiving, more compassionate, more considerate and more loving towards other people. Such an attitude is very stress-relieving.

Emotions are forms of energy that can be measured in terms of frequency. Once your mind harbors negative emotions, electrical currents are sent through your neural pathways and trigger the release of destructive chemical proteins. This action creates a physiological response throughout your body – your immune system is compromised, thyroid function is suppressed, the brain’s thinking ability is impaired, your blood pressure rises and your blood sugar levels shoot up.

On the other hand, benevolent thoughts towards others, the desire to help and good deeds can trigger the release of feel-good neuro-peptides that would counter depression, lift up your disposition and relieve you of stress. Among these positive emotions, unconditional love has the highest frequency – equivalent to that of the ultraviolet rays. Unconditional love has no “ifs” but only “in spite ofs”. Conditional love says “I will love you only if…”, while unconditional love says “I will love you in spite of…”

Unconditional love - treating others as you would want to be treated – is the key to live a stress-free and very healthy lifestyle, and this can only be achieved if your mind is one and in harmony with all of creation. 

As Marianne Williamson eloquently said it, “Just like a sunbeam cannot separate itself from the sun, and a wave can’t separate itself from the ocean, we cannot separate ourselves from one another. We are all part of a vast sea of love, one indivisible divine mind.”

Albert Einstein could only agree. “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty,” he wrote a century ago.

Think how much distress you would save yourself from if you listen to the wisdom of the wise.