How to Stay Healthy in a Stressful World – A Prize-Winning Essay

This essay earned me the 1st runner-up position in a faculty-wide writing competition at the University of Calabar, Nigeria. Exploring how we can maintain optimal health amid modern stress. I hope it encourages and helps you too.

Written by Keneng Mathias.

Maintaining Optimal Health in a Stressful World.

It cannot be bought.

Neither can it be sold.

I was told it came from above.

A treasure that stands above 

All things; yet given free.

Of whom gave it I do not know,

But I do know ways to maintain it.

As for materiality;

Good health is everything.

He who has it has it all,

But he who loses it, loses all things.

The key to maintaining optimal health in a stressful world is not to tell your neighbour to turn off his generator because its noisy, nor to resort to dopamine-incentive drugs—that may reduce stress temporarily—but destroy health. The key does not lie outside of you—it lies within you. The key to maintaining optimal health in a stressful world is peace of mind.

Peace of mind is the first secret to a good and healthy life, and its absence is sickness itself. Just as a man with umbrella protects himself from rain, the same way a man with inner peace shields himself from the worries and turmoils of a stressful world. Which results in—or contributes to—poor health. 

The peace of mind I speak of, is not the kind that appears when everything is calm and pleasant. Far from it! The quietude I speak of, is that where, amidst a storm, the boat may quake but the heart will be unshaken. Such serenity only comes through cultivation and self-mastery.

For he who has not mastered himself—has not learned to govern his thoughts, emotions and instincts. Will be controlled by the influences—negative and positive—of his environment. The negative ones are the subtle stressors that ignite anger, that causes anxiety and other upheavals. Which activates our stress hormones, and if not dealt with, can lead to a nervous breakdown.

Therefore, a man must be wise enough, not to let anger control him, strong enough, not to yield to squabbles that may arise at work. He must be man enough to scoff at the daunting face of fear. For these are the drops that form the ocean of stress and ill health.

I have a neighbor who always argues with her husband, for reasons I do not know and have no desire to know. But the real problem is that they never reconcile. So they live like cats and dogs. The slightest provocation between them, sparks a fight as easily as fire catches dry grass. This stems from the grudges they harbor. This woman, out of hate and other things in her, is always angry, never at peace with herself or her children. She never smiles, and her face is always sour. One glance at her and you can tell something is wrong inside.

Do you know the worst? A beautiful lady like her now looks scrawny as someone sick; as though she's lost her youth. What a pity! Bitterness is a poison we drink ourselves. Thus, the old Proverb from the Holy Bible—“Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like cancer”—is indeed true. Many people go about with their daily activities carrying unnecessary burdens: hate, jealousy, anger, and more. These are diseases of the mind that the simple do not know lead to physical sickness. As Proverbs say, jealousy is like cancer.

Therefore guard your heart with all diligence, against these hidden diseases. Forgive! Your life depends on it. And by all means let your burdens be light, and your yoke easy. Beyond emotions, something else drains us and disrupts good health.

Which is tiredness. Tiredness is energy drained by overwork. I once had a roommate called John, a 300-level student in UNICAL. He is one of those students that has neither a rich dad nor a wealthy mother. He was lagging in tuitions and other things. John had to take a part-time job to support himself.

John would attend lectures all through the day, and went to work at night. He came back at late nights, and when he arrives he would always say these words: “Ah, I'm tired.” Then he would fall like a dead tree, on his bed, and motionless he will remain till the morning. As this monotonous routine continued, John started experiencing: (1) a decline in academic performance, (2) weight loss and fatigue, and (3) symptoms of a certain illness. All these happened due to lack of rest. Humans can not do without rest. Rest is so vital, that even the Creator of the universe rested on the seventh day. Rest is medicine itself. 

A siesta can repair stressed tissues, by far any drug can—never underestimate the power of a nap.

I know a lecturer friend who always looked healthy and collected. One day, I complimented him on the fact that, despite handling so many lectures, he never seemed tired. "What's your secret, sir?" I asked. He smiled and said, "Oh, it's not much of a secret, my repose stems from a simple exercise I do." "And what's that, sir?" I replied. "Whenever I finish a stressful activity," he continued, "and I'm back in my office, I take a moment—five to ten minutes—to relax. I recline in my chair," he went on, "close my eyes, and breathe mindfully. This relaxes my nerves and renews my strength."

Some people call this kind of activity meditation. It's common among Buddhists. And it seems it should be practiced by them only? Wrong. I'm not proposing that you sit cross-legged, widen your arms and start humming. Far from it! You must not become a Buddhist to have inner peace. All you have to do is take a few minutes out of 24 hours to rest.

Another effective approach to maintaining optimal health in a stressful world is exercise. Show me a man who exercises, and I'll show you someone who's strong. Ask me for a recipe to a healthy life, and my first hint will be exercise. Hail exercise! Hail! Blessed is the man who exercises for he shall not be sick. Just as I have, exercise has been sung by many health practitioners. The importance of exercise in enhancing well-being has been taught in schools and public places. Even the Holy Bible extols exercise: “Physical exercise is of some value…”

But how many people really exercises? Very few. People nowadays leave exercise to athletes, they dub it the athletes-thing. It shouldn't be so at all. Not only does exercise have the power to increase good health and longevity, exercise also have the power to rejuvenate you and make you look younger than you are.

I can talk on and on about the benefits of exercise, but let me give way to reputable health organizations, who understands the impact of exercise on our life:

1. World Health Organization (WHO)

"Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers."

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

"Regular physical activity can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression." 

3. American Heart Association (AHA)

"Regular physical activity can help lower blood pressure, improve blood lipid profiles, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke."

4. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

"Exercise has been shown to have antidepressant effects and can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression." 

Anyone who reads this and still doesn't believe in exercise, should be prayed for. I know why many people don't exercise, it's not that they don't know how or what kind of exercise to do—it's that, exercising can be exhausting. But that's a misconception. I once listened to a notable speaker talk about exercise sometime ago, and he said: “you know, it may only take some people walking around their house every morning, to keep them healthy, but they don't.” 

It's true, but they don't. The idea that you have to exercise to the point of strain, is a misconception. Exercise can be easy as walking around your house, doing ten pushups, as jogging a small distance around your vicinity and other simple things. You do not have to pull a car with a rope or climb mount Everest before you call it exercise. Exercise should be done by all, and is profitable for all.

Beyond rest and exercise, another powerful strategy to maintaining optimal health in a stressful world is effective use of technology. As a child I watched my mother go through hell cooking with firewoods, tears stood on her eyelids due to smoke entering her eyes as she fanned the fire, and within minutes the fire quenched, she would complain in Pidgin “Oooh hoo, this fire sef”, and have to fan it again, and again and again; I can imagine the headache cooking with firewoods must have caused her. But when she switched to a Gas cooker, it was like freeing a prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment. 

That's how the use technology can improve our lives. I heard that in those days—when I was not born yet, and no communication device exist—people trekked unbelievable distances, to deliver messages that can be delivered without leaving your bed today, thanks to a mobile phone.

I also heard that if you were in school, say UNICAL—in those days—and want to send a message to your mother in Lagos. You'll have to write a letter, go to the park and look for someone traveling to Lagos, who may know your mother, then send the letter through that person to your mother. And getting a response from her entails the same tedious steps you took, and it may take days, sometimes weeks, to get back to you. It also meant, you couldn't send urgent messages, and if nobody was traveling to Lagos, you would have to go yourself—if the message is important—and that's expenses.

Also a lot of wasted time and resources, that could have been channelled into something productive. But thanks to the invention of devices like smartphones. Today from Calabar Nigeria, you can reach your father in London or anywhere in the world, with just a dial of their mobile number. The rise of technology is a blessing to humanity. However, technology should be used effectively. For everything with a positive effect also have a negative effect, and technological devices are not exempted. Some gadgets like television and smartphones, serve useful purposes for disseminating information fast around the world and other relevant things, but can also be an agent of distraction and can be addictive, if used immoderately.

It's a common fact in universities today, that students are addictive to smartphones and no longer prioritize reading. As a result, attempt to cheat in exams with it. Therefore, the use of technological devices should be used, not only effectively, but also responsibly; in reducing stress and maintaining optimal health in a stressful world. Good health cannot be bought, neither can it be sold. If you have it, be thankful to God. But what's more? Guard it with your life.

Thank you.