Understand stress to achieve Relaxation

The Response to Stress

Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., and Dean Krahn, M.D

What do we mean when we say we are "stressed out"? We may just be having a bad day, or feeling pressured by too many things to do and too little time to do them. Or we may have had a fight with a friend or family member. Or our job may be getting to us - feeling that it is just a rat race without a purpose, or feeling too much pressure and a lack of support and camaraderie. In any case, we are "bummed out" and "frazzled" and tend to think about how we feel at the moment and how to make it better right away. Rarely do we give much thought to the longer time frame and how our body is handling or not handling the pressure. Yet, it is the longer time frame of months and even years that is important for understanding the bad side of stress.

Stress activates adaptive responses. The body marshals its forces to confront a threat and, generally, does a good job of protecting us in the short run. So why can stress also be so bad for our bodies and brains?

Stress can prematurely age us and leave us chronically fatigued or depressed. When exposure to stress - whether from a traumatic event to just the daily hassle of rush hour traffic or too much email - disrupts the body's internal balance ("homeostasis"), it can go one of three general ways: the body can regain its normal equilibrium once the stress has passed or it can become stuck in an over- or under-aroused state. How a person copes with stress - by reaching for a beer or cigarette as opposed to heading to the gym - also plays a big role in the impact stress will have on our bodies.

Link to the full article: The Response to Stress