It might seem like a simple concept. We toss the word around every day. Stress. But what does stress really mean? Is it the same thing as physiological arousal? Is it the same thing as “workload”? Is it any different from anxiety or unconscious anger? Is it the cause of trauma? Is it anything at all? Is it just a “myth”? [1]


Change

Let’s begin with the concept of change, because life is a process of change. Therefore, anything that involves change contains within it the “demand” that we adapt to it, in one way or another. Graduating from school can be as demanding as starting school, and starting a new job can be as demanding as losing a job.

How we perceive the change really determines how we manage to adapt to it.

If the perception is positive, we generally embrace the change with open arms and relief. And the story essentially ends there.

If the perception is negative—that is, if the change challenges our stamina or resources—the body will automatically—and dramatically—respond to this perceived threat with a variety of physiological responses.


Physiological Responses to Change

Walter CannonEarly in the 20th century, Walter Cannon’s research in biological psychology led him to describe the “fight or flight” response of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) to threats.[2] Cannon found that SNS arousal in response to a perceived threat involves several elements which prepare the body physiologically either to take a stand and fight off an attacker or to flee from the danger:
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Heart rate and blood pressure increase
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Perspiration increases
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Hearing and vision become more acute
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Hands and feet get cold, because blood is directed away from the extremities to the large muscles in order to prepare for fighting or fleeing.


Hans Selye [3] first popularized the concept of “stress” in the 1950s. Selye theorized that all individuals respond to all types of threatening situations in the same manner, and he called this the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Hans SelyeHe claimed that, in addition to SNS arousal, other bodily systems such as the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland may be involved in a response to threat. For example, chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) may serve to focus the body’s attention just on immediate self-preservation by inhibiting such functions as digestion, reproduction, tissue repair, and immune responses. Ultimately, as the threat wanes, Selye suggested, body functions return to normal, allowing the body to focus on healing and growth again. But if the threat is prolonged and chronic, the SNS arousal never gets “turned off,” and health can be impaired. With a continuously suppressed immune system, for example, a person would be more vulnerable than usual to infection—which is one explanation of why some individuals get sick so often.[4]

And, regardless of whether Selye was right or not, psychology, as well as medicine and popular culture, have accepted the concept of “stress” as an unpleasant fact of life.


Reducing Physiological Arousal

Physiological arousal can be uncomfortable and distracting in situations that might feel threatening but don’t involve an actual threat. Fortunately, this sort of arousal can be reduced by practicing some form of relaxation. A basic relaxation technique such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) consciously helps muscles to relax, and, because muscle tension is one of the triggers of arousal, the PMR process, by decreasing muscle tension, essentially tells the body that the perceived danger is over and that systems can return to normal. More advanced forms of relaxation, such as autogenics and prayer, cause muscle relaxation through mental imagery.

Hence these forms of relaxation don’t just help to turn off the physiological symptoms of arousal—in the imagination they can actually change one’s view of change, so to speak, so that a change isn’t perceived as a threat in the first place. This is why the benefits of advanced relaxation techniques extend beyond their physiological benefits and can lead to enhanced performance, greater self-esteem, and serenity of mind.


What is “Stress”?

Given what we know about the physiology of arousal due to perceived threats, and given what we know about relaxation techniques to diminish that arousal, what can be said about the concept of “stress”?

Well, actually, not much.

A person could, for example, experience a job loss and respond to its perceived threat not with healthy problem-solving but with anger. This anger may be conscious or unconscious, but as long as it persists a state of physiological arousal will be maintained. In addition, perhaps this unfortunate person will experience a Major Depressive Episode or will develop an Anxiety Disorder.

In traditional terms it could be said that this person is under intense stress. In fact, because of Selye’s influence, psychology and medicine have tended to regard “stress” as if it were some “thing” that could destroy our health and happiness even against our wills.

But it could just as well be said that the person in the example has simply failed to accept change in a healthy, adaptive manner.

So maybe “stress” isn’t any “thing” at all. Maybe it’s just a descriptive term that our culture uses to normalize unconscious anger, a fear of love, a lack of forgiveness, a desperate clinging to a vain identity, and an absence of a spiritual life. Maybe “stress” is just a convenient myth to shift responsibility for life away from ourselves and onto something so vague that everyone can love to hate it.

But those who accept the discipline of a relaxation technique are at least taking a positive step—not to fighting “stress,” but toward living responsible lives.