COVID & Generational Stress

I truly believe that the time has come for us to stop equating being an adult with being ‘stressed out.’

For generations now we have watched the adult role models around us fall one by one to the ravages of stress. How many of us have had loved ones who were trapped in negative cycles of thinking, or who had difficulty regulating emotion due to the stress they were facing?

Aware as we now are, I think we can all see the generational—and even the genetic—impact which each of us faces daily because of stress. If there was ever a worthy cycle to break in life, the decision to consciously eliminate stress would be high on the list. It is a change process which takes awareness, perspective, and most of all, courage. I know that change doesn’t come easy, but we need to know, and really believe, that stress does NOT need to be an absolute in our lives.

Not for our generation, and not for the ones to come.

And this is especially true now, during this COVID pandemic. Stress relief is paramount. For our family, stress relief during this time has meant lounging in the pool (during the summer months which seem so far away already), board games (though they sometimes cause more stress than they solve...especially Clue...I mean, who enjoys that game?) and most of all, hanging out with this little guy, Ollie.

There’s something transformative about having a puppy jump into your lap when you’re having a crappy day. This isn’t just a random observation either. Recent research has shown that being around animals reduces the production of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.

Of course this isn’t the primary reason why we keep Ollie around—we love the little guy to death—but it’s nice to know that some of the things that we enjoy in life can be healthy for us as well.