Stress
I looked at my legs and could not believe the flakes on it. “Kí rèé?” (“What is this?”), I asked myself. My skin had never been that dry. I most certainly did not expect it because of the extra lotion I used that fateful September morning. I returned home that evening to certainly dislike the look of my skin, especially my leg. Just now, I did a simple Google search of the current relative humidity in Lagos, Nigeria, and it says it’s 79%. Meanwhile, that of Fort Collins, Colorado is 19%. Quick tip: relative humidity is a measure of how much water/moisture is in the atmosphere compared to the maximum amount of water/moisture that the air can hold in that place, at that time, and at that temperature. I was coming from a more humid place with skin lotions tailored for where I came from. I was not pressured by anyone before I went to a store to get a healing moisturizing lotion, and the difference was clear after using it for a little while. A few months later, my cousin was laughing when I shared the experience of suddenly seeing my skin so dry and wondering whether something “licked” all the lotion away.
Today, 25 days to my birthday, I was reminded of that experience. Not only did my current lotion get exhausted, but I also attended a seminar about irrigation and water saving for plants in arid regions. The presentation enlightened me on how irrigation efficiency methods have been developed over the years for different kinds of irrigation and how things are looking for the near future. One phrase that kept screaming at me was “water stress”. When the plant is water-stressed, it becomes evident in their leaves, and they start to shrink in overall size as well as reduce production. What struck me, though, was that this stress is defined more on how much water is gained and lost, and not on just how much it is lost.
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I have come to learn from these illustrations and simple occurrences that there is always a need for some moisture in our lives. By moisture, I mean motivation to move on. For many people, this motivation is results, and for some, it is just hope for results. I asked some of my contacts at a time, “what makes a person lose interest in an endeavor even after practicing along a line for so long?”. I got answers that all relate to the same string — results, appreciation, passion, interest, and hope. Each of these things, when missing, can lead to stress emotionally, mentally, and even financially. Stress makes people less productive and deprived of the joy that comes from the fulfillment goals they worked towards from the beginning. Stress shrinks capacity and makes one ask the wrong questions.
When stressed, sometimes you need rest. You need to step back and take some time to evaluate the steps that led to that point. More importantly, when stressed, you need recovery and a steady supply of the source of that source of moisture. Staying stressed for too long can lead to a bad posture and a broken spirit. It is very important to manage stress properly and constantly increase productivity. One mistake many of us make is that we stop at self-evaluation. We mourn our losses and go ahead with the same energy that led us to where we are. Health is wealth, my dear friends. Stay healthy all around. Constantly draw up nutrients from those things that help you hope, progress, and get results! These sources are priceless, no matter what they are to you!
Cheers!
