Emotional Stress

I don’t choose these words randomly. Every post is a post that is considered based on what is happening in the world, but more often than not, in my life. And right now it is self imposed ʻALOʻAHIA. And I say self imposed because that really is what stress is. You don’t have to be all crazy about something that may be going on in your life. The stress really does NOTHING (at least for me) to make it any better. You can choose to leave it behind. But no. We wallow in it. And a lot of times, when all is said and done, we realize that we stressed for nothing. I hope so.

If you look in the Hawaiian dictionary, you will not find an equivalent for the stress we commonly experience. There is stress as in accent or to put emphasis on kind of stress. But not that weighed down all consuming take over your life stress. Nope. You have to look in the “modern” dictionary, Māmaka Kaiao. That book has some made up words and some traditional words that you might not find in the Pukui or Andrews dictionary.

ʻAloʻahia is your go to word for stress. Pīhoihoi is sometimes used to refer to anxiety (a bit of stress in that, right?) but it also has a joyful kind of excitement meaning, too. All in context. Or some may use “piʻi ka hopohopo” or the anxiousness/doubt is rising.

Nui ka ʻaloʻahia i kēia pule – There is a lot of stress this week.

ʻAʻole pono e ʻaloʻahia, e nanea – [You] don’t have to stress, relax!!

Copyright: 2017 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of “He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited without written consent. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Address inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.