Understanding Stress

Definition: Stress is our mental, physical or emotional response to events, pressures or demands in our life.  In its simplest form, stress is life – or our capacity to respond to events in life.  Stress is not what happens to us, it is how we respond to what happens to us.  It is our response to what happens that contributes to our health and vitality, or causes us distress and disease.

Because stress is not what happens to us but how we respond to what happens, the “mind/ body” connection is a key ingredient in understanding our response to stress.  Our thoughts, perceptions and intentions lead to corresponding bodily reactions and actions.

Identiying your causes of chronic stress

Identifying the causes of your chronic (long-term) stress is a step towards gaining control over it.  Some common causes of chronic stress are:

• Your health, including illnesses

• Your emotions, including an ability to control powerful emotions

• Major transitions and life changes

• Your family and your relationships with them

• Your surroundings

• Your job, including dissatisfaction with your work, pay or unemployment

• Your social situation, including financial matters, loneliness, discrimination or harassment

People experience chronic stress for a variety of reasons but rather than listing every stressor the important priority is to identify the main sources of chronic stress in your life, become aware of them so that you can control your reactions to them.  It’s critical that you take action to gain control over your stress today!

3 reasons why you haven't reduced your stress

1.      You don’t have time to relax

You’re just too busy and your schedule is hectic so you don’t find the time

2.      You don’t know how to relax

You don’t know what specific activities or techniques you should be using in order to reduce your stress

3.      You’ve tried different stress relief techniques

Nothing has worked for you

3 good reasons to control stress

1.      To reduce health risks

When you’re stressed you put yourself at risk of long-term health problems such as high blood pressure.  Stress also impacts on cholesterol levels, triggers sleep disorders, conditions such as diabetes, can lead to depression and anxiety and also heart attacks.  It’s crucial to deal with stress now to avoid these problems later

2.      To improve your performance

Our bodies are designed to perform well with stress in the short-term but over the long term it hurts us.  You gain more from rest and relaxation over the long-term than from being stressed.  Gaining control over your chronic stress will improve your performance at work, school or sport.

3.      Increase your general quality if life

Chronic stress negatively impacts inter-personal relationships.  If you’re stressed out all the time then it will take its toll on your relationships with the people who matter most to you in your life: your partner, kids, friends and other loved ones. 

Don’t be so stressed out that you miss the good things in life.