by Raymond Moody, M.A. 

When I first started working at the Albert Ellis Institute I was asked to pick an animal name. Throughout my training in graduate school I learned about the negative impacts of stress on health and I learned that different animals process stress in different ways. For example, the salmon experiences an incredible amount of stress swimming up-stream during the spawning season. This stress takes a serious toll on the health of the salmon, making it more susceptible to disease and death. However, the zebra does not accumulate stress like the salmon. When the zebra is under attack it experiences a stress response that helps the zebra fight and possibly escape from the predator. When the zebra is no longer under attack the stress response subsides and the zebra is able to go back to grazing. Research suggests that the zebra doesn’t experience stress worrying about when the next attack is going to come. This has led researchers to the conclusion that zebras are immune to ulcers because they don’t experience long lasting stress that contribute to the development of ulcers. So, when I had to pick an animal I chose the zebra – not because I have a stress response like a zebra but because I strive to have a stress response like a zebra.

In an effort to reduce my stress I try to identify the situations when I am most likely to experience anxiety. Looking at these situations I can identify common beliefs I hold that make me feel anxious. For example, if I believe that I am unable to manage others’ disappointment then I am more focused on trying to prevent experiencing any disappointment. This effort to avoid experiencing disappointment is typically experienced as anxiety. In other words, I spend a lot of time worrying about potential negative situations and anxiously trying to avoid them. A zebra wouldn’t spend time worrying about future experiences of disappointment. So, how could I be more like the zebra?  I could believe that I do not have to have everyone’s approval. In reality, we will encounter people in our lives who will think we should have done something better or differently and they will be disappointed. I can also collect evidence from all the times that I have dealt with disappointment as a reminder that I will be able to deal with future disappointment (kind of like how the zebra knows they will just be ready to respond when the lion attacks). I have found that the quality of my daily life improves when I am able to not worry about potential bad events in the future. How can you be more like the zebra?

Ray Moody