Noise Pollution: Society in More Stress

Three hundred years ago, actual noise as we know it was confined to natural events over which humans had no control. America sounded like wilderness – wolves howled, trees toppled, and water rushed over waterfalls and ran down mountain streams.

Today, surrounded by sounds difficult to escape – jetliners, motorcycles, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, chain saws, tractors, traffic, sirens, jack hammers, – we step inside our homes to be bombarded further by televisions, radios, electric razors, hair blowers, air conditioners, and even phones, At the office, it may mean another eight-plus hours of uninterrupted din. In our society, we move from one deafening environment to another.

We’re so accustomed to the clamor that we don’t even hear it, not really. People exposed to the same noises each day, especially loud ones, adapt so well that after an adjustment period, they don’t consciously “hear” it anymore.

Unfortunately, our “desensitizing” of noises doesn’t make them any less harmful. Even when we’re not aware of them, sounds – especially sudden ones – evoke a rapid, increased blood flow, raising the heart-rate and, ultimately, elevating blood pressure. This is the body’s method of responding to stress in what is called a stress reaction.

Researchers Dr. Ernest A. Peterson and Dr. Jeffrey S. Augenstein experimented with the effects of the noise. Two rhesus monkeys were selected for the test because their hearts and circulatory systems were “the closest [they] could get to humans.” The doctors subjected the monkeys to the same kinds of noises heard daily by the typical blue collar worker in America. At the end of three weeks, the animals’ blood pressure had jumped 43 percent.

What is a safe noise level? Although researchers aren’t yet sure, it is obvious that what many of us consider “normal” is not safe. Even people who believe they’re handling stress and the everyday pressures of life well aren’t as tension-free as they think they are.

Can you remember the “good old days” when the still, small voice within us used to be called “conscience” instead of “transistor radio”? Pursuing the sounds of silence will enhance your health.

Read More: http://healthmad.com/mental-health/how-noise-affects-your-stress-level

The Workaholic Disease: Stuck in Fast-Forward

The way a fast-forward person lives adds to the stress and strain he or she is already experiencing.

Being out of balance is not in itself destructive; but to the extent an individual cannot let go and return to a healthy balance, she or he is no longer in control.

People with fast-forward personalities eat, walk, and talk fast. They are restless and impatient, have trouble relaxing, and thrive on deadlines. Typically they are compulsive, competitive, and power-seeking. They are clock-watchers and time-binders. Fast-forward types will try to cram eight hours of work into two and then become agitated when the work isn’t completed – especially if someone else was expected to do it.

They feel pressure even when there’s no need to. They burn a great deal of energy needlessly and have trouble unhooking. They are the high-rollers – big spenders – when it comes to energy use.

About 5 a.m. in an airport rest room, I was at the sink washing my hands. At first I thought I was alone in the room, but I kept hearing a faint mumbling. Turning to look, I saw a pair of legs at the end of a long row of stalls. Listening more closely, I quickly realized that the gentleman in the stall was dictating a letter to his secretary!

Some people might call that an efficient use of time. I say it demonstrates a number of points about fast-forward personalities: the need to do more than one thing at a time, a tendency to have trouble letting go, and an inclination to be stuck in the fast-forward mode.

Read More: http://socyberty.com/advice/are-you-stuck-in-fast-forward/