I'm Here. I'm Stressed. Get Used to It.

Bless me, readers, for I have sinned. It's been ten days since my last blog posting.

I can tell you that I've been busy, but you'll just roll your eyes and say "whatever!" It is the truth, though. I've been treating patients, finishing up a writing project for a deadline, researching complicated cases and making sure I get my recommended daily exercise.

Juggling all of these variables has had me a little stressed out. Yes, I'll admit it. I have stress. The past week has been challenging. I don't care if you lose respect for me. I'm a human being, I'm not perfect, and sometimes I experience stress.

Most of my patients refuse to admit that they are stressed out. I"ll ask them,"How is your stress level?" and if they say "fine" with a tight, don't-ask-me-any-questions edge in their voice, I know that they are either lying or in some sort of denial. Or so stressed out that beginning to talk about it would cause a tiny fissure in the facade that they present to the world that could lead to a full-on crack-up.

Long story short, when they say "fine," I never press it. I just know that they are stressed out. And I try to work something into the treatment to help them relax.

Part of the problem is that there seems to be a certain amount of social shame attached to stress. Everyone knows that stress is bad, and no one likes to be around someone who is stressed out. We know that stress is bad for us, but we can't seem to get rid of it. For example, if your job is stressful, you can't just quit because then you would get evicted, and that would be more stressful.

Ignoring it doesn't make it go away, and the effects on the physical body are real. In October of 2000, the National Institute of Health published a study outlining the effects of stress on the immune system. In 2006, a British medical journal published a study linking workplace stress to both heart disease and diabetes. The list goes on and on.

It's time for us to be real. This denial isn't helping anyone, and admitting that you have a problem is the first step to solving it. Let's all say it together: I'm stressed out!

Now what can you do about it? Plenty. Exercise, meditation, yoga, dance, massage, acupuncture, laughing, sex... I feel more relaxed just thinking about how to work these things into my day.

Again, I apologize for the radio silence, but I'm sure you understand. I'm off to go running, do some yoga, get a massage and drink lots and lots of water. Then I'm going to go home, sit on my butt and eat ice cream. What are you going to do?