A TV comedian is taking on the stress epidemic that plagues four in four of us in a show easing worry with doses of laughter.
Mindfulness expert Ruby Wax is returning to Colne with her new one-man show, Frazzled.
Having previously focused on the one in four suffering from mental illness, Ruby is now helping to tackle the rise in stress that undercuts our daily lives.
It’s an issue, experienced by everyone, which thrives off society’s obsession with speed and production.
“We get stressed about getting stressed,” she said. “The show tackles the stress we give ourselves. We think: ‘I’m not doing enough, I’m not fast enough etc.’”
The amygdala is a set of neurons located deep in the brain that is responsible for the fight or flight system. By evoking responses of fear in the face of danger, it helped cavemen to act in the seconds after spotting a predator.
But in today’s world, having reached the top of the food chain, we find the system somewhat out-of-date. Failure to meet incessant deadlines and high societal standards has replaced the threat of predators.
“We’re all different but our machinery is the same,” Ruby added. “Our brains have been made in a way to allow us act if there’s trouble and we always think there’s an emergency happening - there’s no downtime for us.”
Suffering from chronic stress, Ruby added, does not make you weak. In fact, we could all benefit from an update to our fight or flight system.
The show, sweeping across the country, not only offers a raft of techniques for managing stress but is also proving that laughter really is the best medicine.
“You can’t take a pill from the doctor [to cure stress] but today you can exercise your brain. I take science and spin it a little bit. The show offers techniques for everyone for use at home day-to-day.”
Talking of happiness, Ruby is certainly excited to excited to be returning to the town.
“I love Colne,” she said. "The high street has some really great shops. I can’t wait to go back - it’s quirky.”
Frazzled will be presented at The Muni, Albert Road, Colne, on Saturday, May 6th at 7-30pm. Doors open at 6-45pm.
To book tickets (£20 each or £18 for concessions), please visit www.themuni.co.uk or call the box office on 01282 661234