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For the past hundred years, there's been much debate and theory going around about what stress is and what stress is not. We each know intuitively what stress is to us because we all experience it. But defining stress, is not so easy.
Hans Selye is one of the founding fathers of stress research. In 1956 Mr. Selye argued that “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, whereas that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.”
Selye’s position was that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced regardless of whether the situation was positive or negative.
Since then, much more research has been conducted, and new ideas have evolved. Stress is now widely perceived as something negative, producing a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects. These same effects have very rarely been observed in positive situations.
Richard S Lazarus is attributed with the most widely accepted definition of stress: Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”
Everyone responds differently to stressful events. Stress response is in part instinct and in part to do with how we think. We can train our minds how to best respond to the stressful elements in our lives. Stress does not need to be all bad. Some stress in our daily lives is actually good and can challenge us to reach higher.
This site is dedicated to helping people everywhere to manage the stress in their lives and channel it into something that is beneficial and hopefully more positive.
Get started on the first chapter of your stress relief guide: Symptoms of Stress Researched
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