Definition Of Stress
The standard dictionary definition of stress found in Webster’s calls it “a physical, chemical or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.” Webster takes the definition of stress even further, calling it “bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium.” That statement hits the nail on the head when it comes to an accurate definition of stress.
Since Webster’s description of stress is formal and rather technical, let’s break it down and see what stress really means to the average person. The most basic one-word equivalent to stress is change, and the change can be environmental, social, physical, chemical or emotional. Those areas cover a broad spectrum that can be the root cause of stress.
Any change, and especially major changes in our lives leads to stress or tension in both our bodies and our minds. These changes, or stressors, disrupt our equilibrium so they can be felt physically, emotionally and mentally.
The most important items in this explanation are the end results –the change in equilibrium that may result in disease. That is what overwhelming stress actually does to the body. Basically, stress sends us out of balance, which can make us sick.
Sources of stress are all around us – work, family, traffic – and they are inside us as well – confusion, insecurity, distraction. Any and all of these things are stressors to our bodies that push us to act in a certain way. Some stresses are good because they promote healthful and safe behavior. For example, any type of pain would be considered a form of physical stress. Even though it causes stress, however, pain is beneficial because it alerts us to a potential problem and pushes us to action to stop the pain from continuing.
Too much unnecessary stress, on the other hand, can be deadly. That is where the out-of-balance, disease-causing components come into play. If our bodies are continually responding to unreasonable stressors that require unnecessary action, they can no longer function properly and healthfully.
You see, our bodies and minds are perfectly equipped with everything we need to fight off unhealthy influences. Unfortunately, we frequently allow ourselves to be affected by undesired stressful situations that distract our bodies from performing specific actions that they were created to perform. The more time we focus on outside stressors that are pointless and unnecessary – like beating the traffic or dealing with difficult people – the less resources our body has to perform its everyday functions.
Much of what stresses us out can be eliminated with a new focus and a change of mind. Planning for life situations and learning how to cope with unpleasant circumstances will help alleviate the factors that bring stress into our lives and give us a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle, thus lightening the stress loads are body will bear preventing sickness.