HEALTH ALERT, Sounding the Alarm on Stress (c) by Polly Guerin

It’s not surprising to find that modern men and women today are inundated with an inordinate amount of stress in their daily lives. For one thing the computer has made it easier to log in and communicate any of the time of the day or evening. It seems that everyone including businesses are after your undivided attention. In today’s high tech society we are drawn to our computers and the first thing most of us do at work or in home offices is to boot up the computer and stare in disbelief at the avalanche of e-mails. The inbox commands your attention, riveting you to your seat and the whole morning can be wiped out in just one sitting. Responding to e-mails is also the culprit of stress and a good reason why you should manage your computer time more judiciously. Stress brought on by information overload is a serious matter because the computer can contribute to some serious health concerns.
HEALTH CONCERNS
The renowned American prophet, Edgar Cayce, as well as the medical profession has attributed a great many of physical as well as mental illness to stress. Cayce was quite sensitive to the effect of stress on people and never dismissed anything as “just nerves.” In a reading he said, “The strain between the physical and the mental, with the spiritual attributes of the individual, finds expression not only in the brain itself, but in that of the sympathetic (nervous) system. (4566-1) Other stress diseases include skin disorders, diabetes, colitis, glandular disorders, backache and muscular aches and pains: and arthritis, to name just a few.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Information overload is causing incredible amounts of Internet postings to deal with, so much so that it can actually contribute to your working longer hours, which eventually could hinder productivity. Just the thought of looking at the computer screen hour after hour can take its toll on one’s eyesight, posture and general feel-good personality. You could suffer pangs of alienation and everyone around you dares not interrupt. If you become a slave to the Internet its grip on your mind can even sabotage creativity.
RECLAIMING CREATIVITY
When we let the computer run our lives we stop thinking of creating. It is no longer in our heads. Computer driven individuals have a different orientation and stop thinking about making things and using their hands in pastime pursuits. Nature is the best medicine. Get out and interact with nature. Brown bag your lunch, bring a friend and picnic in the park. Instead of staying indoors in stuffy, sweaty gyms, take brisk walks in nature, do some calisthenics and pretend no one is looking. Take up a hobby. I have even noted that men also do needlepoint or knitting. In a reading Cayce admonished as follows: “…budget the time so that there may be regular period for sustaining the physical being and also for sustaining the mental and spiritual being. As it is necessary for recreation and rest for the physical, so it is necessary that there be recreation and rest for the mental.” (3691-1)
Best Advice: Forget about the etiquette books. Remember you do not have to reply to every e-mail