Slow Tigers All the Time

 The other day at lunch, my sister was telling us about a theory of stress. Humans used to use their fight/flight/freeze instinct only when faced with an immediate danger, such as a tiger about to pounce. After the danger passed, the automatic stress response receded into the background until it was needed again to save the human from danger.

In these modern days, however, we are faced with a constant host of niggling, non-urgent stressors. In essence, we have slow tigers all the time. Lurking. Prowling. (Gotta send that email, gotta take out the trash, gotta feed the dog, gotta change the baby's diaper, gotta buy more peanut butter ... ) Our bodies are never able to rest from the low-level tensions sawing protractedly at our nerves.

Granted, I'd rather have chronic stress chipping away at me than tigers mauling me. But slow tigers all the time are no joke.

So here's a little reminder for anyone who needs it this week: Take care of yourself. Go for a walk. Write in your journal. Listen to some music. Eat a yummy snack. Watch the daffodils bloom.