How The Modern World Conspires To Stress You Out
The modern world can be a somewhat turbulent place. Not only do you have to deal with the odd pandemic here and there, but you also have to navigate a complex social world.
Did you know that human civilization has only really been around for about five thousand years? Before about 3000 BC, there were a few cities dotted around in China and the Fertile Crescent near modern-day Iraq, but the percentage of people who lived in these environments was vanishingly small. Practically everyone else lived a nomadic lifestyle in small roving groups, looking for food. It was a completely different existence.
Human biology has had some time to adapt to the stresses and strains of the modern world, but not much. Today, we live in these giant cities with bright lights and millions of people all going about their business, but that’s not how we evolved. We never lived in places teeming with thousands of people we didn’t know. Historically, meeting a new person would have been a rare event. Most of the time, you’d be saying hello to people that you knew.
This example is just one among many that highlight the difference between the modern world and the environment in which we evolved. Stone age men never had to work to get enough money to buy an apartment or pay off a mortgage. He simply had to find the food that he needed to feed his family. His concerns were more immediate and pressing. What might happen to his stock portfolio ten years from now wasn’t on his mind.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the ways that the modern world stresses you out and what you can do about it.
You Never Get A Chance To Switch Off
Our ancestors worked hard, but they would also spend a lot of time just lounging around, doing nothing. Once they were fed and had maintained their homes, there was little else for them to do except enjoy their surroundings.
Today though, we have no such luxury. Mobile devices mean that we can communicate with the rest of the world, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It is enough to make even the more extroverted among us want a break. Constant notifications, texts, and emails from our bosses mean that we’re always on edge, waiting for the phone to ring.
Worse still, our smart devices tap into our dopamine reward centers. Part of us wants to receive a notification that somebody liked our status update on Facebook. But part of us loathes it too. We’re hooked like good old-fashioned addicts.
You Have To Always Compete
Our ancestors would have periodically competed with each other for dominance, but not in the way that we do today. Everyone with a “type A” personality wants to do whatever they can to ensure that they’re the best.
But this pressure is relatively new in human existence. Historically, most people knew their station in life, and they stuck with it. Modern values, however, turn that on its head. Anyone can succeed, we’re told, so everyone feels the pressure to do so.
Inherently, opportunities are not a bad thing. But unless you know how to approach them healthily, they can be a significant bugbear.
Chronic stress activates the fear-response part of the brain called the amygdala. And once this region gets up and running, it can wreak havoc with your brain chemistry. In light of this, a lot of people are investigating USDA certified organic CBD oil. The hope is that they can calm their anxiety by tapping into ancient relaxation circuits in the brain. Science supports the idea, so this may become a substantial movement in the future, if not already.
You’re Exposed To A Toxic Environment
The modern world is toxic to our bodies, but not in the way that people imagine. Yes, there are chemicals in the water and pollution in the air, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re not the big problems. The biggest issue is how the modern world corrupts our food and exercise environments.
The vast majority of people lead sedentary lives, consuming highly-processed modern foods, like white bread. The effect of this is to destroy our natural metabolic machinery, leading to all kinds of conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. And, ultimately, these are the diseases that have the most significant knock-on effect on the quality of life and survival. Plus, these activities cause increased levels of inflammation in the brain that can make you feel down.
