The other epidemic

April is stress awareness month. Which is funny because most of us would say that we’re very aware of how stressed we are. The stressy nature of modern life is pretty clear to anyone who’s ever watched the news, or who carries their inbox in their pocket (ie. all of us). 

I suppose the ‘awareness’ is more about acknowledging the impact that stress can have on our health, and the importance of managing it. 

It’s true that stress is the underdog pillar of good health. Look at New Year’s resolutions: we resolve to cut down on drinking, eat more healthily, do more exercise. It’s pretty rare to hear someone say they’re resolving to just chill out a bit.

But we should be prioritising it because the impact on our physiology can be major. The World Health Organisation has announced that we’re in a ‘stress epidemic’ and we don’t even seem to care.

Of course, stress isn’t always bad. Sometimes it’s very ne…