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STRESS AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE
Stress upsets the smooth working of our body, and also spoils the quality of life. Yet I am frequently asked, ‘Is some degree of stress good for us?’ ‘Surely a little bit of stress is good for people?’
No. I don’t think so. I know it’s a common belief amongst many people, and even amongst many psychiatrists, that some stress is good for us; but stress is not good for us, because it is essentially a disordered function of the mind.
We want to be careful what we mean by stress. Different people have different ideas about what stress is. Some people just regard it as the problem, or the hurdle, or the difficulty that the person is confronted with. However, this is only one side of stress. I see it as the disparity between the problem and the person’s ability to cope with it: it is the gap between something difficult, or even frightening, and our ability to grapple with it. So one person faced with a problem may be under stress, while another person faced with the same problem may be under no stress at all.
If we are living really well, if we are well adjusted to life, we are coping with difficult situations without stress: the quality of life is good, and we deal with problems without anxiety, apprehension, or depression.
Quality of life – what is it?
‘Quality of life’ has become a catch-phrase. It sounds well from psychologists, it gets a few votes for politicians, and it is used by all manner of do-gooders.
But what is the Quality of Life?
Some years ago I had a large room with sixty comfortable chairs, which I called the Quiet Place because it was there that I showed people how to meditate. It was there, too, in the Quiet Place, that I held a series of public meetings to discuss the quality of life.
Now, what is the quality of life? People brought up all sorts of ideas. Is it a highbrow conversation? Is it looking at modern works of art? Is it a reasonable standard of living? Or is it nothing to worry about? Is it simply enjoying nature? Does it have something to do with God?
For many years I have felt that an important part of quality of life is inner peace of mind and the absence of tension, anxiety and stress. Life is better if we are free of tensions, and the quality of life is enhanced. However, I am not suggesting that ease of mind is quality of life in itself, but I do think that the development of ease of mind is a large step towards quality of life. And the important thing is this: it is a step that is within our grasp.
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