How many times have a stated that stress is a vicious killer, a slayer of men, a menace to all earthly life? Today I want to talk about how to avoid it, so we can live longer, happier, healthier lives to the very end.

I’m speaking from my own experience here. I am 53 years old. I’ve moved over 20 times, had just as many jobs and almost as many employers. I’ve started and shut down several small businesses. I’ve had health issues, including one $8,000 night in a hospital when I had no insurance. I’ve had high income and low income, I’ve had negative net worth. I’ve had unmanageable levels of debt. I’ve been in an out of numerous relationships as a lifelong bachelor. And more stressful situations that I won’t mention here. Basically, I feel highly qualified to talk about stress.

But we all have stress. It is a part of life. Without it, we would be even worse off. It is a survival mechanism that kicks our bodies into high gear when we are taken by surprise with a serious threat, so we can do what needs to be done. I was thinking about this today in regards to the human animal and other animals. Very few animals live longer than humans. Perhaps some tortoises and elephants, maybe a few kinds of parrot. Animals seem to face a lot more stress. They can’t go to a grocery store to get food, or even to a soup kitchen. I think of lions and tigers, who have to kill some hard-to-kill prey, and fight off other lions and tigers and other animals who might want the same food. But when you put them in captivity, a situation in which their survival has no external threat, food is provided, etc. They face the stress of captivity because it is so against their nature. They need balance and so do we.

So avoiding stress means avoiding surprise. Now as I said before, stress is ultimately unavoidable. You can drive obeying all safety precautions and someone could still run a red light and slam into your vehicle, causing a very stressful situation. You could do everything possible to stay healthy, which, as a listener to this show I hope you are doing. But some unknown environmental or genetic issue could harm you anyway. These things are going to happen. Sometimes we don’t understand how powerless we are in life. But there are things we can control. Some surprises we can avoid. We need to plan.

What can we plan for? There are a couple of categories. One contains the things we know are going to happen. Death, health issues, taxes, the need for food, shelter, and clothing. For most of us, a vehicle and a job which is going to change over time. Children, a spouse, education, retirement. For most listening to this podcast, these are all things we’ll have to deal with. Different cultures will have different certainties.

The second category includes things that are unknown until they happen. And there are ways to “expect the unexpected” and prepare for the unknown.

My good friend Patti Brunner said in her Truth of the Spirit podcast that humans have a 100% mortality rate. So we all should be prepared for death. Though you might think it won’t really matter, since you’ll be gone after death, we’re talking about stress you may feel before death, about your legacy, the impact of your death on those that you leave behind. Things like a will, a burial policy, and life insurance are ways to plan financially — and we know finance is a big stress category. But there are other things you may need to plan for, including who will care for people you may be caring for, or take over other important things you do, whether it’s raising children or running a charity, or something else.

The world is constantly changing and we need to be prepared for changes in the employment world, whether it is in public taste or technology. When the automobile came along, the days of the ferrier, buggy whip fashioner, and stable hand became numbered. Manufacturing robots are replacing the assembly-line workers that made those same automobiles. Think about the education and training you may need to be employable when these changes take place.

Long-term care is enormously expensive, and many of us will need it as we get older. We need to plan for this, not just by buying insurance and saving money, but by structuring our assets to take advantage of government assistance we have paid for in taxes throughout our lives, and will almost certainly need. Many people do not plan and wind up losing their homes and living the end of their lives at a near-poverty existence, which also severely limits the choices available and the kind of lifestyle they have. Medicaid planning is not something you can do right when you need assistance. By then it is too late.

Insurance can help soften the blow of unexpected expenses other than death. These may come up due to a sudden disability, or the aforementioned traffic accident. And everyone should have an emergency fund, ideally containing at least a year of expenses. This fund is designed for the unexpected expenses, like loss of a job or medical expenses, home or vehicle damage — that are not covered by insurance. It’s for the things you can’t think of. Even for the unknown, there are ways to plan.

Don’t over extend yourself by getting into debt, or living above or outside your means. I think of overtime here. Many people have the option of working overtime to make more money. In my profession, there are many contractors and consultants in this situation. But this extra money can be like a drug — you can get addicted in a way. Before you know it you are living a lifestyle that can only be supported by constantly working many hours. You can do this for a long time, but it takes its toll. And you can wind up missing the most valuable things in life, like time with friends and family, or contributing to something you are passionate about that doesn’t pay, or doesn’t pay enough. Live within your means, and instead of working more hours, improve your employment value in the long term through education or training or getting the right kind of experience to move up.

As far as debt goes, my experience tells me that debt is acceptable for things like a house and a car. But be reasonable about these purchases, and pay off any other debt as quickly as possible. Keeping track of the interest you pay is a good motivator. Look at that number as potential income you could make every month when the debt is paid off, and as something you get no value for.

So we knew some great ways to aleviate stress after the fact, and now we know some good ways to prevent it from happening in the first place, which is even better in my opinion. There will always be things we can’t plan for, but we should take care of the things we can.

Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 223 (-52)
Workout time: 192 Minutes
Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 5.51 Miles (562.96)
Steps: 17,621
Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 158.03 (+15)
Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29%
Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 7 hours
2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat