How Our Busy Lifestyles Can Cause Stress, Anxiety and Trauma
The regular reader of my blogs will have picked up the theme of many of them that they are based on my past experience in life. I am not claiming to have had a good life or a perfect life. I have had many lessons and experiences. Remembering the first tractor on the farm, right up to high tech machinery loaded with computers. The farm worker doing mainly manual work, up to being trained to operate high tech and expensive machinery.
What I am now writing about is the English class society and how it creates stress and anxiety and can lead to trauma. Over the years – mainly since the end of World War II – it has changed but it is still there. The upper class or gentry – there are many ways to describe them – are born into a rigid way of life. I am probably quoting the extreme. When they are born, especially the boys, they are booked into a public school. It is really a private school but known as a ‘public’ school. The father has been to that school, the grandfather has been to that school and also the great-grandfather. Prior to that predetermined school, they go to a preparatory school known as a ‘prep’. All this creates stress and anxiety, as they are obliged to keep up a certain standard: it is expected of them. They then move on to the main school where they have these rigid, high standards. Not all of them can cope and the stress builds up.
They then go on to their career, usually in the professional field, still keeping up the rigid standard that is expected of them. Life has now changed. Society has changed, economically it has changed, plus politically changed. They usually marry into the same social society, to keep up the tradition.
The children are expected to carry on the tradition and go to the same school. The school fees have shot through the roof. There are these standards to keep up; it is expected; there is no backing out. To keep up, the stress is reaching breaking point.
I have known five people who have committed suicide, usually shooting themselves.
It is good to have standards and strong moral obligations but this can lead to extreme stress and anxiety, usually creating devastating trauma. It can also lead to excessive drinking, gambling and other immoral pursuits.
Many thanks to free digital images