I have my own theory about why some people retire happily and others get depressed or ill upon retirement, about why some people drive fast and like rollercoaster rides and horror movies, and others \u2014 like me \u2014 absolutely refuse to see anything violent and frightening and have always avoided scary rides in amusement parks.
\nIt has to do with an addiction to “highs.” People with generally low levels of adrenaline need a boost to feel alive, while people whose levels are usually high quickly become anxious when over-stimulated.
\nI\u2019m of the latter category. Even a scary book makes my heart beat faster, and I get so uncomfortable in suspenseful movies that I want to leave. The feeling of being frightened is deeply unpleasant \u2014 I do all I can to avoid being in such situations.
\nMy granddaughter, on the other hand, loves to be scared. She thinks it\u2019s fun. A large number of people must agree, considering how many movies are made just to raise adrenaline levels. Steven Spielberg said in an interview that during a preview of “Jaws,” he saw someone leave as the shark was swallowing a man and thought: “It\u2019s a flop.” Then he saw the person throw up and return, and he thought: “It\u2019s a blockbuster.”
\nAddictions to emotional highs are not very different from addictions to alcohol or drugs. Without the stimulation, one feels low key, empty or depressed.
\nSome people can only work under pressure \u2014 deadlines are motivators. I\u2019m always several columns ahead, and I handed in reports early in college. Deadlines make me anxious. I can work under pressure if I have to, but I hate the feeling it generates.
\nWhy do people continue working at a hard and fast pace when they could retire and don\u2019t need the money? A newly retired friend of mine recently said to me, “I miss the challenge. I miss risk taking, I miss having the control.”
\nAnother friend, a recently retired CEO, said, “Who am I if I\u2019m not a manager, if I\u2019m not in charge, if I don\u2019t have the opportunity to make important decisions?
\nWhat these persons miss, besides their job identities and the daily adventure that work provides, is being looked up to by colleagues and staff, being someone who matters, feeling responsible and being challenged.
\nInterestingly enough, stress addiction can be harmful to some, leading to heart attacks \u2014 but not to all. For some, the release of adrenaline in the blood stream might increase resistance to disease through the production of lymphocytes.
\nIn other words, stress may be bad for some individuals but good for others. They thrive living in the fast lane, getting high on violent video games and extreme sports. People addicted to adrenaline seek ways to get these surges and when deprived of them become irritable or depressed.
\nI get a “high” when I see a good performance in a theater or have a particularly stimulating conversation, and that\u2019s enough for me. Seeing a destructive storm on television, hearing someone else\u2019s bad news or a dramatic story also provide a small kick, which explain people\u2019s preoccupation with sensational trials and sex scandals.
\nAfter all, what is “having a good time” but a “high”?
\nStress is negative when people have little control over their work. Low-level employees with heavy job demands are at the highest risk of heart disease. The workers with least control over their jobs were five times as likely to develop coronary heart disease as were those with the most control.
\nJob control involves two factors: the ability to make one\u2019s own decisions and the capacity to use a range of skills.
\nIf psychological strain cannot be translated into action, then the cardiovascular system is adversely affected. Even talking to someone about one\u2019s stress is an action that can be helpful.
\nBeing in control and being needed are highs. So how to get that high in other ways is what must be found. What gives you a high? How much of it do you need and with what intensity? Being aware of one\u2019s needs for adrenaline highs is already half the battle in seeking what one must have to feel alive. This will give you control over your behaviors and not let you fall prey to unconscious motivations and needs.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have my own theory about why some people retire happily and others get depressed or ill upon retirement, about why some people drive fast and like rollercoaster rides and horror movies, and others \u2014 like me \u2014 absolutely refuse to see anything violent and frightening and have always avoided scary rides in amusement parks. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":264940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11560","_seopress_titles_title":"Doing it Better: Adrenaline highs","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11560,11552],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-la-jolla-village-news","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}