| What is stress |
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Stress is usually thought of as a negative and destructive force in our lives, which can eventually lead to our physical or mental breakdown. The word is itself ambiguous as it is neither bad nor good. We need it for our normal daily activity, but if stress or the stress response becomes prolonged, real problems can occur. We all react to stress in different ways. Some people have mental, physical, emotional or behavioural symptoms or a combination of these.
What happens in our bodies when we get stressed?
The stress response is healthy in itself. A completely stress-free life would be mind-numbing and tedious. Too little stress is unhealthy, but too much stress is very bad for our physical and psychological health. The key issue is to learn the difference between the healthy pressure of a challenge, and excessive stress which causes distress and eventually, disease. Everyone's stress level is different - what is challenging and motivating for one might be overwhelming for another. You can learn to be aware of your own stress response and then to neutralise it. Through Autogenic Training, you can learn to reduce the intensity of the body's stress response, and replace it with a calmer physiological state in which self- healing naturally begins to occur. |
