Stress: What is stress?

by Go To Coaching

I was having lunch with a friend of mine the other day and we started talking about one of the many pharmaceutical commercials being aired. In fact, it may have been a hodgepodge of several.

Regardless, our conversation was directed at all the leading questions that these companies ask during their respective commercials. “Are you tired?” “Are you overwhelmed?” “Are you fatigued?” “Are you not feeling like yourself?” Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

It could be sleep deprivation, it could be depression, it could be allergies, it could be an assortment of many things. The underlining theme is the stress that either causes or is caused by these ailments. The take a pill and call me in the morning mentality is only a band-aid. Instead of being reactive and taking a drug, choose to be proactive by attacking the stress.

So what exactly is stress? Here are a couple textbook definitions:

1. Richard Lazarus, University of California Professor of Psychology, defines stress when “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize”.

2. Hans Selye’s, one of the pioneers of stress research, states: “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.”

Whether you actually experience the stress or you think you may be under stress, guess what, your body goes through the same physical reaction. Just more ammunition for the belief that the mind is more powerful than the body! So now that we have a better idea what stress is lets find out what causes it.

So what are common scenarios that we engage in daily that allow stress to accumulate in our life?

- Public speaking
- Academic tests
- Changing jobs
- Loss of a loved one
- Driving in rush hour traffic
- Loosing
- Isolation
- Large crowds
- Loud noises
- Natural disasters
- Acute injuries and illnesses
- Chronic illnesses
- Competition
- Relationships

Stressors you may not have considered:
Eating, physical activity, exercise, winning, and silence.
Within these scenarios what is really causing the stress? Stress occurs in our physical, psychological, spiritual, and social lives.

Physically we see stress caused by a wide variety of things including:

- Poor Nutrition
- Drug use
- Excessive caffeine, sugar, alcohol, nicotine and food additives
- Dehydration – not enough water consumption
- Lack of oxygen –not from holding your breath when you don’t get what you want
- Musculoskeletal imbalances – think about it this way – when your joints ache, when your muscles are tight, when you feel clumsy
- Too little or too much exercise
- Hormonal imbalances
- Food allergies/sensitivities
- Low blood sugar – not eating multiple small meals per day
- Trauma
- Chronic pain
- Ph balance – caused by poor food choices – eating too many processed foods
- Illness (virus, bacteria, fungus, mold, dust, parasites, other toxins and pollutants)

Psychological stress originates from:

- Perceptions
- Emotions
- Attitudes
- Beliefs

Social stress occurs with:

- Finances
- Relationships
- Isolation
- Crowding
- Social overload
- Lack of support
- Conflict

Spiritual stress results from:

- An individual’s lack of purpose
- Faith
- Value
- Direction in their life
- Guilt

All of these factors combine to create a cumulative stress on our system. Which may lead to unwanted outcomes.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that stress and its resulting effects cause 85% of all disease conditions. Furthermore, Bruce Lipton, PhD, a cellular biologist from Stanford estimates 95% of all illnesses are directly influenced by stress.
Disease is not the only result of stress. The physical, emotional and behavioral effects of stress are vast and can be all encompassing. From poor performance at work to grinding your teeth at night. From developing digestive problems to explosive diarrhea. If you allow it, stress can influence every facet of your life.

You just learned what stress is and how it can negatively effect you. If you want to learn what you can do to diminish its effect on you and be proactive to break this cycle so that you can thrive in the face of stress, check out www.gotocoaching.com and look for other articles related to Stress reduction.

To your health! Go To Coaching Inc.