November 1st, 2007

Agwo nnan-anyen anyime enang ekom (Those under heavy stress respond to the mooing of a cow as a greeting)

Proverb and Reflection By Ezekiel Ette

Social scientists often define stress as the physiological and emotional reactions to the things that disrupt our balance. Such things as having a job interview, preparing for a date or the death of a friend or relative, calls for our bodies and our minds to adjust and adapt to the situations, therefore, throughout our lives we are constantly exposed to what are called stressors. The Annang knew about stress and so they observed that those under heavy stress are out of balance and may do things that are out of the ordinary such as responding to the common moo of a cow. In observing the behavior of those who struggle with stress, our forebears taught each other through this saying that having the ability to reason and think under stress can be difficult. Decisions made under such condition, therefore, may not be a good one.
A study done in 1956 by Selye is still regarded as one of the most important study in the subject. Selye found that the body reacts the same way to all stressors regardless of whether such stressor is what we may think of as positive or negative. Whether we win a lottery or face the death of a loved one, the body’s reaction is still the same. He described three stages of reaction: first there is an alarm where hormones are released from the brain for the fight or flight response, followed by a resistance where the body attempts to make a repair to whatever is destroyed, and finally exhaustion where the body is unable to repair itself and damage occurs. Since Selye, others social scientists have found that it is not the event that causes stress, but what we think about the event. It is not the fact that we do not have money that causes us stress, but what we think about the lack of money. It is not that we are facing problems in life that causes us stress but our attitude towards what we regard as a problem.
In sum, our attitude and what we think can make the difference between being healthy and being sick. Our attitude can be a determining factor whether we are happy or sad.
The American historian, James Truslow Adams observed: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.” Indeed how we see the world and how we interpret the events in our lives can subtract or add years to our lives. It can mean walking peacefully and thinking with a clear head or answering the moo of a cow. Bill Provost once wrote that when we rule our minds, we rule our world. How are you responding to stress in your life? Are you worrying or are you taking the steps to see the problem in a correct and proper perspective? When we are first faced with a problem, it can look overwhelming, but giving it time allows us to see that what once looked unmanageable is actually something we can deal with. Our prayer for you today is that you may have the serenity to pick what is important in your life and to know how to deal with the stressors that life throws at you.

Full Version

 

Annang Wisdom is an inspirational letter produced as a service of the Annang Heritage Preservation Project. No part of this publication may be transmitted, forwarded, copied, stored or recorded without the permission of the Annang Heritage Preservation Inc. Please send all comments and requests to ancientwisdom@annangheritage.org.

November 1st, 2007

Agwo nnan-anyen anyime enang ekom (Those under heavy stress respond to the mooing of a cow as a greeting)

Proverb and Reflection By Ezekiel Ette

Social scientists often define stress as the physiological and emotional reactions to the things that disrupt our balance. Such things as having a job interview, preparing for a date or the death of a friend or relative, calls for our bodies and our minds to adjust and adapt to the situations, therefore, throughout our lives we are constantly exposed to what are called stressors. The Annang knew about stress and so they observed that those under heavy stress are out of balance and may do things that are out of the ordinary such as responding to the common moo of a cow. In observing the behavior of those who struggle with stress, our forebears taught each other through this saying that having the ability to reason and think under stress can be difficult. Decisions made under such condition, therefore, may not be a good one.
A study done in 1956 by Selye is still regarded as one of the most important study in the subject. Selye found that the body reacts the same way to all stressors regardless of whether such stressor is what we may think of as positive or negative. Whether we win a lottery or face the death of a loved one, the body’s reaction is still the same. He described three stages of reaction: first there is an alarm where hormones are released from the brain for the fight or flight response, followed by a resistance where the body attempts to make a repair to whatever is destroyed, and finally exhaustion where the body is unable to repair itself and damage occurs. Since Selye, others social scientists have found that it is not the event that causes stress, but what we think about the event. It is not the fact that we do not have money that causes us stress, but what we think about the lack of money. It is not that we are facing problems in life that causes us stress but our attitude towards what we regard as a problem.
In sum, our attitude and what we think can make the difference between being healthy and being sick. Our attitude can be a determining factor whether we are happy or sad.
The American historian, James Truslow Adams observed: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.” Indeed how we see the world and how we interpret the events in our lives can subtract or add years to our lives. It can mean walking peacefully and thinking with a clear head or answering the moo of a cow. Bill Provost once wrote that when we rule our minds, we rule our world. How are you responding to stress in your life? Are you worrying or are you taking the steps to see the problem in a correct and proper perspective? When we are first faced with a problem, it can look overwhelming, but giving it time allows us to see that what once looked unmanageable is actually something we can deal with. Our prayer for you today is that you may have the serenity to pick what is important in your life and to know how to deal with the stressors that life throws at you.

Full Version

 

Annang Wisdom is an inspirational letter produced as a service of the Annang Heritage Preservation Project. No part of this publication may be transmitted, forwarded, copied, stored or recorded without the permission of the Annang Heritage Preservation Inc. Please send all comments and requests to ancientwisdom@annangheritage.org.