Transcribed from a speech originally delivered on April 11, 2018.
In 2004, ABC News anchor Dan Harris suffered a panic attack on live TV. His worst nightmare had just come true.
The inner voice he’d lived with for so long, the voice telling him he wasn’t good enough, had just shown itself in front of millions of people.
Just like Dan, many of us battle stressors that prevent us from living successful, wholesome lives. Today I will talk to you about the impacts of stressors on health and well-being, as well as introduce a possible solution to lessen these impacts.
What is the problem? The problem is stressful situations have consequences on our physical, mental, and behavioral well-being.
Stressors cause and worsen the development of many physical conditions. According to the Mayo Clinic, stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The Mayo Clinic also highlights many other physical ailments that could be caused by stressors. These include headache, muscle tension, chest pain, fatigue, upset stomach, and sleep problems.
Beyond this, stressors also negatively affect mental health. A 2014 study conducted by USA Today asked teenagers how they’re feeling because of the stressors in their lives. They found that 40% of teens reported feeling irritable or angry, 36% reported feeling nervous or anxious, and also a third of respondents said that stress makes them overwhelmed, depressed, or sad.
And these effects are not just limited to teenagers. Brian Simmons, who was selected for an ABC News interview in 2014, spoke about his inabilities to control his outbursts of anger. He said “I would react very reactively.”
Brian and many other adults reach a boiling point after repeatedly facing stressors. And if these emotions are too much to bear, the stressors increase the likelihood that a person behaves in irrational and unsafe ways.
Their quality of sleep could be diminished by stress, which often keeps people awake at night. Stress also disrupts regular eating patterns, causing overeating, undereating, or even binge eating.
Becky Schmits, another person interviewed for the ABC News piece, remarked that she was emotionally eating, and that that became a way of life for her. She said, “Eating was like my security blanket.”
Those who are stressed also turn to cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs as a means of coping. And all of these could have potentially dangerous consequences.
Its clear to see that the dangers posed by stress have profound effects on our well-being. However, understanding this is only half the battle.
The American Psychological Association reports that, although 56% of adults surveyed are able to effectively or be very good at identifying the stressors in their lives and when they’re feeling stressed, only 29% say they are doing an excellent or good job managing the stressors.
Many adults benefit from learning to manage or reduce stress through meditation. The solution is that meditation helps reduce the impacts of stressors on our physical, mental, and behavioral well-being.
By lessening the impacts of stressors, meditation can reduce the chances of developing physical conditions. One study, cited by the Huffington Post, showed that meditation training reduced concentrations of a protein linked to cardiovascular disease.
Another study, conducted by the Benson-Henry institute for mind-body medicine, showed that 66% of participants had naturally lower blood pressure levels after just three months of meditation.
Meditation also, beyond this, can have positive effects on our mental health. Surgeon and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke with ABC’s Dan Harris about how meditation helped him overcome his own struggles in his life. Oz said, “Going inside my mind is no longer going behind enemy lines.”
Being better able to control emotions is something that is experienced by many people who practice meditation. Chris Nee, who created the Disney Channel series Doc McStuffins, told ABC News, “I was in a place where I was ready to fight every single little point on the show. I think it’s very mentally exhausting to be in that place.”
Nee also said that meditation “allows me to take a moment when negative responses come in, and not take it so personally.”
Meditation guided Nee and countless others to emotional stability in their lives. What’s more, as a result of these physical and mental improvements, those who practice meditation are less likely to behave in irrational and unsafe ways.
Chris Eckstedt, a father and recovering addict who was also interviewed by ABC News, spoke about his experiences with meditation. Discussing his addiction, he said, “When I was high or drunk, I all of a sudden felt like I fit in.” His desire for acceptance and normalcy was fueled by his dependence on drugs and alcohol.
However, meditation changed his outlook on life for the better. Later in the interview, he said, “I could have killed myself, and I would have missed out on so much. Who knows what the future will bring? I’m good right now. I’m so grateful for this idea of meditation.”
Today I talked to you about the impacts that stressors have on our physical, mental, and behavioral health. I also introduced meditation as a possible solution to lessen the impacts of these stressors in each of these areas.
Fourteen years after his panic attack, Dan Harris now lives a healthy, stable life. Meditation helped him achieve this inner peace, and it can help you overcome your stressors as well. Thank you.
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