Mar 14 2009
Stress, Health and Quick Fix Culture: Does this Work?
As I walk around where I work and in other public places I see people with MP3 players, talking on cell phones and generally on a straight and narrow path to get things done. This makes me question why many people today may always feel like they should have something to do or should have some kind of stimulus. The phrase stop and smell the roses comes to mind. We’ve become an on the go quick fix culture, which makes for the ability to accomplish things and stand out as a competitive and motivated culture. However, does this contribute to increased stress in our environment, pressure us to focus on quick fix solutions and ultimately work against our health? Maybe so, but how does this really play out into our daily lives?
This is a big question, yet I think I can point to a few trends in modern American health that may correlate with this issue. Today’s youth are from a generation of stimulus overload. No longer is growing up just about going to school, playing with the neighborhood kids and if you’re lucky enough, enjoying sports and recreational activities. Children and young people are growing up in a world filled with TV, internet, gaming, testing in the classroom and this general standard for perfection based on performance and acheiving the highest level of success. They are growing up in a home where in most cases both parents are working and they may also be a product of divorce or being raised by a single parent. In many cases as well parents or other adult family members are facing cancer or other chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and related conditions.
Health issues among our children that have arisen in the past ten years are asthma, allergies and behavioral problems such as ADD/ADHD. The ability to detect and treat these health issues is due to advances in medical science. They are also due to an environment filled with many distractions, high expectations and in general a world that is centered around synthetics. This is not to undermine the major advances in technology and innovation, yet from the health perspective and where I think stress- both on our bodies and within our daily lives- is a key indicator for the development of effective prevention based interventions.
Again this goes back to the idea that this is a complex issue. However, I think there are things that we as adults and healthcare professionals can do to encourage the use of principles that we grew up with and apply them to the habits we instill in our children. Taking the time to invest in relationships, talking to our children and encouraging them to interact with others and their environment, will help to reduce stress, provide perspective and allow us to remember where we came from. I think this is paramount. So consider what you can do. As we are seeing, hearing and learning from our president- going to the source can lead to solutions. Yet, until we structure our daily lives around this concept we may often succumb to the pressures that are impacting our health and in many ways puts this stress on our future generations. The trying times we are experiencing now, are an opportunity to utilize what we once knew and apply it to what we know today.
