Part 1 of 10 - Stress is a word that we hear a great deal of these days. In fact, stress is linked with virtually every physical and psychological disorder that we know, but stress is also linked with healthy living. The difference is in the type of stress and in the amount!

Stress is the bodyís natural response to change of any sort. There are actually two types of stress: eustress (the good king) and distress (the bad kind). In our everyday lives, we encounter a range of stressors that fall into two broad categories: biogenic stressors and psychosocial stressors. Both can trigger the stress response system, but the key difference is that biogenic stressors are natural stressors to the body, and the only choise we have is whether or not to use them. They include substances like caffeine, nicotine, temperatrue and noise. Psychosocial stressors, on the other hand, are usually neutral events, but depending on how we decide to interpret them for ourselves, they can be either positive (eustresses) or negative( distresses).

Eustress is the type of stress that we search out ñ it is the energizing kind of stress that makes us feel challenged and alive. When we take a new job, develop a new hobby, try out a new exercise regime or a new diet, read a new book, or take a course, we are actually seeking a positive new stressor in our lives, because we hope it will bring us satisfaction and growth. And as long as the demands that we place on ourselves, and are placed upon us, are balanced with the resources and energy level that we have, that will be the case because thatís what we call an ìoptimal stress levelî ñ personal resources and external demands are equal.

Like anything else, however, too much of a good thing can turn sour, and stress too, in doses that are higher than our own energy level and personal resources, becomes overwhelming, and therefore distress. And distress is cumulative and very dangerous, and unless it is managed, can cause burnout, or cumulative stress response.

There are a few quick facts that everyone should know about stress:

• the stress response is a biochemical response and no one is immune to it;
• humans are the only animals that donít need a real event to trigger the stress response, the what ifs? of our imaginations will produce just as real a response as a real stressor;
• stress management is a life-long endeavor; if it becomes a way of life, youíll not only be able to handle the day to day problems that come your way, but youíll also be able to cope well if and when you are confronted with the unpredictable and overwhelming stress associated with trauma, critical incident stress.

Next month: Signs and symptoms of stress.