don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Everyone does it but not everyone admits it. Some not only don't admit it: they actually deny doing it, which I suppose is pretty much the same thing. I refer to denial. Research suggests most, if not all, of us engage in denial. This would include those who refuse to believe it.

Denial is simply putting out of mind realities you don't want to address, at least for the moment; it is also refusing to accept, on a conscious level, that which you know is not true. Denial has UNdeniable uses, too obvious to mention. Of course, it has drawbacks, as well.

Is there a wellness perspective on denial? Is there a wellness perspective on anything? Well, that depends. Who gets to issue official wellness perspectives? Nobody. There is no accreditation authority for wellness positions on anything. However, many wellness lifestyle enthusiasts would probably agree that it is useful and wise to understand the basics of denial, and the pros and cons of utilizing this particular defense mechanism. My friend Dr. Wendy Shore, a research scientist at The Johns Hopkins Medical Center, offered this point of view: "I am all for denial. Life is so much pleasanter when one pretends that the world is a kind place, that global warming is a small problem, that Pakistanis are not all nuts and that we can exercise as we like at any age if only we choose to."

Denial, in its broadest sense, usually means refusing to acknowledge painful or overwhelming external circumstances, avoiding the facts or minimizing the consequences.

I thought about the phenomenon of denial when I read of a national telephone survey about exercise and obesity. It seems people claim they are exercising more than ever before -- at a time when obesity levels are greater than ever. How can this be?

One possibility is that people tell researchers what they want to believe is true, even if they know otherwise. (I suspect this might at least partially explain America's high rate of religiosity. A lot of folks think it more respectable or proper to believe, so they deny that they really don't! They tell Gallup, Templeton and other pollsters who conduct such surveys that they are Christians, or some kind of believers, in some cases because they are acculturated to be affiliated with some kind of religion. That's just my little theory. Feel free not to view it as a solemn, ex cathedra wellness pronouncement.)

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website provides compelling data with charts and tables depicting dramatic increases in obesity in this country during the past twenty years. For instance, only four states in 2006 had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Twenty-two states had a prevalence equal or greater than 25%; two of these states (Mississippi and West Virginia) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%. Yet, the AP survey found the percentage of women claiming to be regular exercisers rose to about 47 percent, up from 43 percent in 2001.

There is some kind of a disconnect here.

The percentage of men claiming to engage in regular exertion rose to about 50 percent, up two percent from the 2001 period. The survey takers found this to be "a little perplexing." How to explain this, save denial?

Teresa Moore, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, offered an explanation, "Recent increases in physical activity may not yet be affecting some health indicators." Another possibility, according to Ms. Moore: "Some people are exercising more but not taking other important steps." (Source: "Obesity Rates Belie Exercise Claims," AP, 11/23/2007.) Ms. Moore was referring to the prevalence of respondents who said they got what was later classed as "low-grade exercise" (raking leaves, for example), in combination with high-fat, poor-quality diets. Well, sure, such minimal exercise combined with injudicious consumption would promote obesity and enable the sedentary to say, "but I exercise regularly."

I suspect denial. People are exercising too little and eating too much - and denying it. They deny this to themselves; it's essentially too stressful to tell the truth to survey takers, not to mention to oneself.

If you are going to employ denial, and most of us do, at least follow a few wellness guidelines, such as:

• Don't kid yourself. Stay aware, on a conscious level, that you are choosing to "have yourself on," as the Aussies are wont to say, playing a role, for a good purpose, temporarily.
  
  
• Know when to say when, that is, when the time comes to put an issue, problem or situation back into conscious play. Deal with it. Let me express it this way: Deny the smoke but not the fire.
  
  
• Don't confuse denial with prudent skepticism. The latter is a disciplined way of withholding judgment until all the facts are in. There is a fine line between the two. No point, for example, in getting obsessed with minor aches and pains. A nearby sneeze does not mean someone has just given you pneumonia. But, other symptoms that persist might warrant a professional opinion.
  
  
• Use denial to buy time. You hear bad news? Don't get upset beyond the pale and allow excess emotions to tempt a panic; allow for the possibility that the situation is better than it first appears. This enables a gradual adjustment to realities and better decisions in the long run. This is an adaptive response.

The key to functional denial is balance - a healthy, effective balance between choosing a temporary, pretend reality while preparing yourself to deal with the actual reality.

This seems to me an ideal wellness approach. When faced with an overwhelming turn of events, take time to mull a best way to adjust. Remain focused on the long-term objective, which is overall health and well-being, the better to safeguard your good sense of humor and capacity to look on the bright side of life.

Be well.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of stress management. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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