The Benefits of Stress on our Longevity

The trees have the right idea.

When we talk about becoming “old”, even the most die-hard optimist has a hard time fending off the angst.  We find ourselves joking about it, or quickly pushing away images of wheelchairs and adult diapers.  

But talking about “longevity” is an altogether different experience. Thinking about aging as an art seems to bring forth our inner optimism. It makes it a little easier to stay and chew on.  It makes it a little easier to open ourselves up to strategies and steps that we can take.  

Feeling open?  Let me tell you a story about trees. 

Eight scientists walk into glass igloo in the desert.  No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke, but instead the beginnings of a new theory on longevity.  These scientists were not planning to study longevity, but our ability to create an earth-like atmosphere from scratch.  They created a biosphere.  As part of the experiment, trees were planted inside the dome.  Being well cared for, the trees inside grew rapidly.  Imagine eating the perfect balance of food and getting the perfect balance of nutrients.  You would thrive, right?  Turns out, no.  Before reaching maturity, many of the trees fell over and died early.  What on earth (or rather, fake earth) happened?  After agreeing to study the doomed trees, they found the answer:  no wind!  The trees had no wind, no stress, and therefore they were deficient in stress wood.  With no stress, they had no resilience.  Wowza!

If you google yoga and stress, you will find many current studies on the therapeutic benefits of yoga and mental health.  But 2,000 years ago, yoga philosophy wasn’t talking about taking our stress away.  Instead, philosophers like Patanjali, were giving advice on how to respond when the inevitable stress happens.  You may wish for a stress-free life, but Patanjali said you can’t escape suffering —no one can.  And for the sake of our longevity, maybe we shouldn't!  

The tree-wind experiment suggests that living things can’t reach our full potential without enduring some physical stress.  (My heated power yoga clients are giving high-fives.)  We are now beginning to research the benefits of resilience on our mental health.  

Clearly, there are things we can start doing today, like exercising to build up our physical resilience.  Longevity is hopeful.  So step on in! 

Until next time,

Laura