Self-Actualization
Dr. Pfister takes some time for “self-actualization.”
They say a person needs to hear something six times or more before it becomes part of their cerebral processes…
If you watch commercials now on TV, they have gone with a new format, at least on Channel Eight. They show the commercial, then show another, and then show the same commercial again just in case you forgot it in 45 seconds! At the risk of doing the same thing to my great readers, I would like to have us look again at the Five Pillars of Health, with an emphasis on the one that is, I feel, most important and most misunderstood. It’s also the one we learned quite a bit about during the quarantine last year, even if the learning was subconscious. The Pillar of Health to which I’m referring is… drumbroll please…
Stress Management
I felt I needed to revisit this topic due to recent conversations that I’ve had with various healthcare professionals on why they were not super-excited about this summer and the freedom of being almost Covid-free! I’m also hearing several parents of patients say they’re not feeling that the world is much brighter this summer (due to their jobs… or marriage… or finally going to two weddings) and hearing similar, “I’m just so depressed that I still don’t want to leave my house!”
All of the individuals mentioned above had no systemic or bodily illness, just their inability to properly react to and process the stresses of life that had come their way over the last year. Feeling a blog coming on, I had queried these individuals about vacations they had been on or planned to go on. Interestingly, none had been out-of-town over the past year and both weddings had receptions within 50 miles of their homes!
This got me to thinking, the four most discussed pillars of health - sleep, hydration, diet, and exercise - are important, but the one least talked about in my sphere of encounters with humans, is the Fifth Pillar, the acceptance and management of stress.
What made this more interesting is that when I asked specific parents of patients who I knew had been on vacation or for whom I was working like crazy to remove braces for their next week’s vacation, the answer was 180 degrees opposite. They had tans, they were relaxed, they had bonding time with the family (even Grandma), and they felt this summer was a cornucopia of adventures missed last year. A couple parents were almost giddy over their plans to enjoy our warmer weather this summer.
Ok, this is not nuclear science; we all know that when we go on vacation we slow down and relax and feel better. But what if, for a number of reasons, we just can’t take a chunk of time off this year to invest in a large family getaway?
As I was pondering solutions for this article, my morning radio station, Majic 105.7, hit the nail on the proverbial head with their presentation of organizing one’s life according to regular increasing increments of participation in Nature’s Pyramid. Looking up Nature’s Pyramid online and seeing how it was diagrammed as an actual pyramid, I was struck by how similar it was to Maslow’s Pyramid of Hierarchy of Needs.
I minored in psychology in college and remembered numerous references made to theories by the world-famous human psychologist Abraham Maslow. Kendra Cherry, in her 2021 review of Maslow’s Hierarchy theory, states that as a humanist Maslow was very much interested and continually researched the topic of “what makes people happy” and what they had to do to reach that state. His theory is based, in part, on the concept that people have an inborn desire to be self-actualized, in other words, to be all they can be! But for self-actualization to be achieved, one must meet a number of more basic needs, which Maslow placed in five levels in the shape of a pyramid, with self-actualization at the pinnacle.
The Nature Pyramid was conceived with only four levels, with total-off-the-grid-test-yourself at the pinnacle. Do you start to see the parallels? Maybe our experiences with Nature don’t just feel good by chance, but are actually hardwired to our inner being and to our inner happiness. And maybe, just maybe, in our too-busy lifestyles, we lost ourselves and our happiness! Let’s take a closer look.
Maslow placed at the bottom of his triangle a human’s most basic needs - food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once met, one moves up the pyramid to safety and security and then to love and belonging and then to esteem and finally the Holy Grail of life, according to Maslow, self-actualization. Once here, people are said to be at peace with themselves and happy that they are utilizing all their natural talents and skills, to be the best they can be.
The Nature Pyramid, NP, begins with achievable baby steps, and moves up to longer and longer time commitments over a year, in order to reduce the stress in our lives by not creating more stress with an unachievable schedule of events. Entry level is daily, getting outside to walk the dog or to have lunch, noticing all things natural around you, as you go to and from work or chauffeuring kids to their appointed rounds. Interact with Nature through plants or bird feeders or ducks at the park. This level can be done alone or in groups, such as with the family.
The next level, which entails a slightly deeper dive into Nature, is weekly. Go for a walk in the park, cycle ride through the country, go kite-flying, discover a new park or trail, harvest vegetables, or weed your garden. These are very basic experiences with Nature and, like Maslow’s lower levels, must be experienced and understood before moving up the pyramid.
The NP third level is more committal, but I feel the return on investment is also much greater, as this level deals with monthly commitments to Nature. Here we find overnight camping trips and weekend trips to a forest or seashore. Off-the-grid with no cellphone reception is a huge plus for these short trips.
The final level of the NP is a bi-annual or yearly totally-off-the-grid trip to a wilderness camp, mountains, or a primitive third-world country. At this level, self-reliance is critical, personal reflection fills the quiet time, and true actualization can begin. It is only my opinion here, but at least half of these Nature experiences should be done alone. This may sound anti-family or spouse but if you really want to clear your head and delve into your inner self for answers or just plain relax, solo is purging. I’ve done it both ways and after a dozen or so foreign trips to Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan and even dental meetings in Ann Arbor, I feel men and women need some time apart. It’s just healthy.
Sometimes self-actualization involves being alone with one’s thoughts. And to do so, there’s no better place than Nature.
We get so used to others around us doing things for us or telling us what to do, that our true self really gets lazy and lost. I feel this is where our stress begins; and once we lose sight of who we are, our inner self fights back. Instead of positively dealing with stress, we lash out or become depressed. Neither of these reactions would come from a self-actualized individual.
I truly feel self-actualization doesn’t happen overnight or with one camping trip to Mohican. Like beginning a diet or exercise program, the hardest part is the first step (and when you begin is up to you). But the self-contentment and happiness from truly knowing yourself is the best investment in the future you’ll ever make! Go slow, be patient (heck, you’ve been trapped inside for quite a few months), set a course, and don’t look back!
Cheers to your journey in self-actualization,
- Dr. Pfister