Fighting the Crocodile
Jun 05, 2019
Think about this … you’re walking through the bush and you notice a crocodile lurking on the side of the waterway not far away from you. You have 2 choices ...
-
You can continue on your merry way and choose to fight this 4 meter long prehistoric giant with bigger teeth than your fingers; or
-
You can choose the fastest route out of there and flee.
Either of these choices is about survival. One is smarter than the other - in my opinion. The key point is … neither of these are a long-winded process. Choice number 1 with be over pretty quickly I suspect, as will choice number 2. Your system is primed to fight or flee for around 10 minutes (max.) and then everything can return to normal. This is a short-term stress response.
The problem is for most of us, this short-term response is on most days, and most of the time during the day, and we rarely have a crocodile to fight. We are becoming stressed over non-life threatening situations, and they never stop. We have no time to recover before the next thing that has to be done.
This becomes toxic to our body and ultimately effects our health. The very response that is there to help us survive is actually killing us … slowly.
So what can you do?
STOP. Put your feet up. Yeah I hear you say … “but I have so much to do”. Ask yourself this question… “does it all really matter?” Treat yourself to a small rest each day. Recharge the batteries, put fuel in your tank … do something to rest and you’ll be more productive when you need to be, and healthier.
Take home message:
-
Bungee jumping is crazy
-
A busy life triggers the same response as fighting a crocodile
-
Crocodile fights are over quickly
-
A busy life is relentless and can become toxic to you
-
Take a break (you deserve it) and avoid exhaustion
- Jonathan