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God offers the salve for stress
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February 1, 2021It’s a beautiful day. All is well with your family and business. You’re out for a hike, and suddenly, through the trees, you see a large bear.
And worse, he sees you.
Your heart starts racing, you breathe harder, you break out in a sweat, your stomach is in knots, your mouth is dry.
It’s the “fight or flight” mechanism, and the associated physiological changes to help you beat up or run from that bear.
The same beautiful day, all is well with you and the world, you’re strolling along, and suddenly — a small rabbit appears from behind a tree, hopping around in the ground cover. No palpitations? No panting? No sweat? Why not?
The rabbit is no threat to your life. And your brain knows the difference between a bunny and a bear.
But sometimes it doesn’t.
The final exam, the report that’s due, the child expelled from school, a terminal diagnosis of a loved one, a business failure — and there you are, unable to sleep, chest pounding, trouble breathing, nauseated and sweating, and you realize these are all signs of a heart attack. So, you call 911.
Or is it just stress? “Just stress.” Now when it’s a hungry bear, “just stress” is a normal physiological response to a life-threatening situation.
But the same reaction can kick in when your life is really not in danger.
While some think solving your “stress” means fixing the situation itself, often the real fix is addressing the misperception of your brain. The scenario might be very difficult, unpleasant, disruptive, confusing, and nerve-racking, but you are not about to be a bear’s lunch.
And … one’s Catholic faith is a great help in coping with stress.
Why?
Because we believe in truth: the conformation of the mind to reality. So, wrap your mind around the reality, and recognize there is no real threat to your life.
Truth is also a Person: the Son of God. He is in control. Thank goodness it is not ultimately up to you!
SISTER MARY DIANA DREGER, O.P., M.D., is a Dominican of the Saint Cecilia Congregation of Nashville, Tennessee. She practices internal medicine.
