What is Stress?
All around us, people are coping with stress--our
friends, our family, our co-workers--even our children. But what is
stress? And what about stress debilitates us so much?
As mothers, we are
particularly susceptible to stress because of the many and varied
responsibilities we carry. As I write this, I am trying to build a
website, monitoring the kid's homeschooling, planning what clothes they
need for winter, preparing myself for my next client, ignoring my dirty
house, making sure we have what we need for dinner, mediating my
children, and, to top it off, today I am trying to plan a yoga class so
I can relax. Am I prone to stress? You bet.
| What is Stress? |
The term stress is used popularly to describe two different things.
The first definition of
stress is the events, environments or stimulus which we perceive as
endangering us and which cause us to react. These can more accurately
be called "stressors".
The second use of the
word stress is about our bodies' and minds' reaction to the stressors,
and can more accurately be called "stress reaction".
The distinction between stressors and stress reaction is important
because we are always surrounded by stressors, yet we don't always go
into a stress reaction. Once we recognize this, we can begin to manage
our bodies' stress reactions.
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Stress + Modern Life =
Chronic Disease
Most of the time, we recognize stress by our outer symptoms--headaches,
sore muscles, irritability. It's important to understand that these
symptoms are not the only results of stress, but are, in some cases,the
least significant effects of stress. Constant, unabated and chronic
stress is a lead player in our modern melée of disease. Diabetes, heart
disease, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, and colds all can result
from chronic stress. And while stress may not cause many other diseases,
it can set the stage for inflammation which can then cause disease.
Stress forms a partnership
with many factors of our modern life (poor nutrition, lack of exercise
and toxic overload) which leads to chronic disease and conditions which
we now view as inevitable or expected.
How I discovered that I was depleted from stress.
Your
physical body is not the only victim of stress. When our bodies are
under stress, the chemistry changes and this can so deeply affect us
that we can not control our emotions any more than a pregnant woman can
keep from bursting into tears. Our bucket is full. One extra drop and
we spill over, wetting everything and everyone around us.
The following articles will help explain about stress and its many
effects on our body, mind, and heart.
To find out more about stress, please
view the resources below.
What
is stress?
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