Sunday, October 29, 2006 Paquaio: Nervous tension By Calixto S. Paquiao Fitness & You
How many of us have suffered nervous tension? I've lost count. In this world of tension, very few people know how to lead a serene and contented life.
From infancy, all through childhood, and well into adulthood, we are trained to strive, to conquer...to succeed. In business as well as in social and cultural endeavors, we desire to excel and win acclaim, and this competitive existence leads to constant tension and ultimately becomes a permanent pattern and vicious cycle.
This is the reason so few people know how to relax or how to take life more easily. Most people blame the increase in heart and blood vessel diseases on this high-strung, keyed-up existence but are unwilling to recognize the fact that this type of existence can be altered.
Many are simply unwilling to make the changes which are necessary to alter their patterns of living. It should hardly be necessary to point out this is an immature approach and does not solve anything. There is no question, but that nervous tension and the difficulties of our present day existence affect our health, but we delude ourselves when we place the blame exclusively on these factors and refuse to recognize the many other causes which contribute to our breakdown.
Because the majority of people are unwilling to concede that most of the influences responsible for their breakdown are within their control, many of them seek to shift the blame on factors for which they cannot be held responsible. To those people, I would like to point out that a cursory examination will reveal that our life today is in reality much less difficult that it was in years past, and that this excuse is offered merely as a cloak to cover up an indifference or unwillingness to give up some of the unwholesome habits of living.
Most of us overindulge over how we can make our future better. Yes, I really agree with that, but at the expense of our health?
Most of us go to the extreme. Being too busy at making a fortune, we neglect to take care of our health. There comes a time when we cannot avoid worries about the outcome and that’s why we get sick. And some who cannot tackle the problems suffer a nervous breakdown.
Each one of us must pause and think seriously over how best to readjust our way of doing things, for no matter how close we get to our goal whether it be striving for wealth or in the attainment of any other possessions, if in the process of doing this our health is sacrificed, our life is a failure.
The man in his prime who is suddenly forced to give up his business because of a heart attack has managed his life poorly.
Even though he has amassed a fortune or attained the pinnacle of his objective, he has failed to make the most of his life. He hasn’t accomplished very much, whatever his achievements, if in attaining his objective he has brought on his premature collapse. “What is the use of my money if I’m sickly?”
When we face difficult problems, it does not mean we should disregard it. But we must learn to approach and deal with our problems with calmness and understanding since this is the only way to cope with them adequately.
Furthermore, we must make sure of following a sound and well-regulated program of living, for only this enables us to maintain a high standard of health and endows us with the strength and vitality we need if we are to handle our problems efficiently and make life a success.
Always keep this in mind: healthy people do not succumb when confronted with difficult problems or faced with hardships.
Those who possess the stamina and endurance which goes with sound health do not break down during periods of stress but face their problems with calmness and handle them in the most effective way possible.
We saw typical examples of this during the depression years when there was a dollar, peso crisis when millions of people were stripped of their possessions in a matter of minutes. Those with strong bodies and healthy nerves were able to take the crisis while those with shattered nerves or depleted bodies were unable to bear the burden and went to pieces altogether, often dragging their families along with them. So, be fit!
