Today we google pretty much anything we are curious about, we have instant access to limitless knowledge, Companies like amazon where you can now order something and it will be at your doorstep by the time you put on a pair of pants, we don't like to wait, for anything, waiting is boring, we can't sit down for more than a minute without reaching for our mobile phones and connecting to the world.

In this world of instant gratification, in order to appease society we need to act fast in everything we do, we need to provide results and beat the clock reaching them, have we ever stopped to wonder what the big rush is? Are we hoping to accomplish as much as possible in the short life spans that we have? I'm not sure that's all it is... I know that my grandparents used to tell me when they heard of someone dying at 65 there was a general consensus in the community that this person had lived a "full life". What about today? You hear of someone dying at 65 and you think to yourself that he/she still had many good years ahead, that he/she died far too early.

Mistakes are made

So if we are living longer (closer to double the average we did not so long ago) then we have twice the amount of time our forefathers did on this planet so I'll ask you again, what's the big rush? perhaps society has just become addicted to adrenaline and cortisol? We've found out how to control the built in human function that produces both these hormones. STRESS!

Stress is a biological process that evolved to help us. Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol get pumped through the body in dangerous situations. Daily life in the suburbs rarely requires fight-or-flight, but the same agents of reaction can be a boon for scoring a winning goal or delivering a flawless speech. They summon our strength and turn off nonessential functions to funnel resources to muscles and the brain.

So lets talk about what happens to us when we are stressed or pressed for time, let me paint a picture for you...

Your parents are coming back from their holiday, they landing in the city airport at 14:00, you agreed ages ago that you'd pick them up. It takes an hour to drive there and you got so distracted with Steeming your new blog that you completely forgot the time, you suddenly realise its 13:10, you need to leave now else your parents are going to be really upset! You quickly wet your hair, throw on some gel, put on a clean shirt and you're out the door, as you driving to the airport you reach for the hands free to send a voice message telling them you are on your way, your phone isn't connected, you feel your pocket, you forgot your phone. F*cK!!!

This is one example of what being in a stressful situation gets you, and we've all done it at some point, we make mistakes, this can impact you in your job, your social life, you relationships and most importantly your well-being. stressing places a conscious focal point in our minds and prioritises this over everything else, this doesn't just lead to mistakes but it limits the amount of information we can absorb during that period of stress, when you're stressing over the time you're not paying attention to anything else.

You Have a Choice

The world is a place of immense detail, and we have 5 "data input protocols" we make use of to absorb these details. Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch, it's with these 5 protocols we enjoy the human experience, it's this experience that translates into what we call life, and living life. Today we living longer, extending those precious years to get more out of this human experience, if we are fighting so hard to live longer, why do we then choose to live with stress, surely this makes no sense, if stress limits the absorption of detail, and its through this detail that we experience life, than aren't we fighting to live longer just so we can experience less?

Here is the "instantly acquired" google definition of stress (thank you google):

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Stress
strɛs/
verb

give particular emphasis or importance to a point, statement, or idea made in speech or writing.

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Stress is a VERB, it's something you chose to do, ultimately you are choosing to give importance to whatever it is you are stressing about, whether this important is legitimate or not isn't the issue here, you are choosing to stress, which means you are choosing to limit your experience of life. Don't waste the lives of the countless men and woman that dedicated many years of their existence to extend the life of future generation through technological breakthroughs and research, you can choose not to stress, stay calm, be logical, breathe. You have more time than anyone before you did. Enjoy it. choose to live.

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