Sunday, February 4, 2001		Stressbusters

• Human beings are engineered for religious faith.

• Our genetic blueprint has made believing in an Infinite Absolute a part of our nature.

• The research has shown that people who visit places of worship have lower blood pressure than those who don’t.

• Those who are both religious and socially involved have a 14-fold advantage over those who are isolated or lack faith.

• Prayer operates along the same bio-chemical pathways as the relaxation response. Prayer affects "Epinephrine" or "stress hormones" leading to lower blood pressure, more relaxed heart rate, respiration and other benefits.

• To separate 20 minutes from the day with silence and intention is worship, whether you believe or not.

• The act of focusing the mind on a single sound or an image brings about a set of physiological changes that are the opposite of fight-or-flight response.

• They connect with posterity:Family members feel as though something came before them and something will continue when they die to which they are linked.

• They honour their elders:

• Grandparents and other elderly relatives are respected and cared for. Their experience and wisdom, and they themselves, are valued.

• The absence of stable social relationships affect our minds and biology as few other events can.

• Being lonely is a major risk factor of heart disease. Loneliness tends to raise blood pressure and disrupt sleep.

• Loneliness is not just being alone. It involves feelings of isolation, disconnectedness and of not belonging. Lonely people perceive their world as less reinforcing and more threatening.

• Form at least one or two high-quality relationships with people you trust.

     ( The writer is a senior police officer)