What is
STRESS?
"Stress" is what we feel when our ability to cope with the events or
circumtances in our lives is no longer sufficient. Stress is also the total of those
circumstances that cause us to feel "stressed". And the stress response is the
way our bodies respond to the things that stress us, or the "stressors".
 Every person responds to a stressor in an individual way. What one person
finds stressful, another might find totally innocuous. One person might tolerate a
confrontation with a work supervisor with no difficulty while another might faint. The
physiology, or the body's reaction, to an event which causes us distress, however, is much
the same for each person: the heart beats faster, our breathing gets faster and deeper,
the muscles tense, the eyes widen, and our bodies prepare to either fight, or to run away.
This response is a hold-over from the days of life in the jungle, when fighting or fleeing
were the ways to deal with danger. Today, usually the only real danger is to our health.
Continually being in the "fight or flee" mode is unhealthy. Continuously high
levels of cortisol, one of the hormones our bodies produce when under stress, can cause a
number of different health problems, as can the high levels of epinephrine or adrenaline
released when under stress. High blood pressure, a weakened immune system, migraine
headaches, possibly even cancer may all result or be influenced by stress.
How to deal with STRESS?
It is often hard to deal with stress. Relaxation, diversion and escaping the stressor are
all useful tools, but each individual has to find the method that works best for him or
her. Changing one's diet may also help. Stress uses up certain B vitamins and calcium, so
it might be important to take a high-quality multivitamin. A number of herbs such as
Bilberry, Ginko biloba and Milk thistle can also be helpful. (For a complete guide to
effective ways of dealing with stress using diet, herbs and other tools, see our section
on "Becoming Stress Hardy--The Details".)
The important thing about stress is to realize that each of us is affected by it, some
more than others, and that we need to develop effective ways of dealing with it.
Otherwise, many of the other things we do to keep ourselves healthy are likely to be less
effective.
For more information on stress and how to become stress-hardy, please click here.
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