Do you know someone who has experienced stress high enough to affect his or her health?

I’ve known more than one individual who has suffered from work-related stress. One of these individuals stands out because he suffered from high blood pressure as a result.

Two months ago, this friend was rushed to the emergency room because his blood pressure became life threatening. He learned a valuable lesson from this and he learned techniques to control the stress in his life. Since then, he’s been able to lower his blood pressure tremendously.

I talked to him about looking for another job. He’d been considering it for some time, removing himself from the stressor. He’d been keeping his eyes and ears open for new opportunities until one of his coworkers said to him, “You’re never going to find another job that pays better.”

He started to reconsider the job search because the words of his coworker started to make him doubt. Then this doubt made him feel that the techniques he had learned would be enough. The stress still existed but he’d be able to handle it now. I listened to his considerations over breakfast then I laid my advice across the table.

Nothing is worth ruining your health for. You’re on this earth for a reason and you should try to live up to this reason by maintaining good physical and mental health. Money isn’t everything.

One thing this person cannot doubt is that certain stressors change his blood pressure for the worse. He’s discovered some techniques to compensate for them, but he has not pushed them out of his life. They are still part of his hectic world and the only way they will disappear is if he rids himself of them.

Abolishing a stressor is both a mental and physical process. Some may argue that the mental aspect is the most important and they would be correct, but when the mental aspect isn’t enough it’s time to devote oneself to the physical aspect. It’s time to walk away from the stressor, to avoid it.

We see each other from time to time and I ask about his health. “We all make decisions on where to go in life,” I say. “And I know you will make the right ones. Let your heart guide you when your mind is full of doubt. It will show you the way.”