When Stress Kills
May 4, 2009 by Jeff
Filed under Health News, What The ?
In central Florida, a man reportedly shot and killed his wife, their 7 year old child and 5 month old infant! The couple’s 13 year old son was able to escape, but the father apparently shot at him before turning the gun on himself. As a husband and father who has admittedly seen some stressful days, I cannot fathom any situation being dire enough to murder my family, or anyone else for that matter. It’s just unconscionable.
You may ask, what is a tragedy like this doing on a wellness blog? Well, this “What The ?” section is dedicated to any topic directly or indirectly related to total wellness, but does not fit in any of the main catgeories. And in that vein, this particualr story reeks of stress management.
I’m noticing an alarming trend over the last couple of months where men have reached their wits’ end where they feel the only way out is to murder their whole family. A similar trend briefly took hold after the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007.
Life these days is very hectic and pressure comes in too many forms to count. Mentally and spiritually, we all have our breaking point. After all, we’re human. But murder is an unacceptable coping strategy. When it comes to wellness, good nutrition and exercise are often the ‘elephants in the room.’ However, stress management is often overlooked and largely ignored as part of the big picture. Recent studies have linked mental health to actual physical ailments. So there is an undeniable synergistic relationship between the body and mind.
The reality is that stress is a part of life, the key is how you react to it. We all need some outlet to channel that negative energy. Some (like yours truly) choose activities like exercise, reading, writing, watching your favorite movie, going for a walk, etc. Others choose something cathartic like talking to a friends, family or a licensed professional. Everyone’s different, so you have to find something that personally soothes you. The worst course of action is doing something destructive like emotional eating, using illicit drugs, or acting out any violent inclinations.
Do yourself and your family a favor…please find a productive outlet for your stress.
Source CNN.com
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Jeff is a family man, news/information junkie, certified personal trainer and holistic wellness enthusiast. He's passionate about disease prevention, the amazing inner workings of the human body, sports, exercising, nature, traveling, and spending time with his family...not necessarily in that order.
This is so sad!!!