FAQ - What is stress?

When you perceive a threat that you feel you can’t cope with, your body and mind react automatically with the ‘fight or flight’ response. The brain floods your system with the stress hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline, your heart pumps faster, your muscles tense, your blood pressure rises and you start to perspire. Your body is primed to fight or run away.

The stress response is in itself healthy. It can provide a ‘buzz’ and sense of fulfillment - the excitement of a new challenge or a new relationship – and it can help us to excel in our performance and realise our potential. A totally stress-free life would be dull. Too little stress is unhealthy, but we know that too much stress is very bad for our physical and psychological health. The key is to tell the difference between the healthy pressure of a challenge, and excessive stress which causes distress and eventually, disease. What is challenging and stimulating for one might be overwhelming for another. It’s not the stressor itself but, crucially our perception of and attitude towards the event that determines whether it is distressing.

Over 13 million days are lost each year due to work-related stress – and this costs UK businesses about £3.7 billion. In modern life, the threats we face are mental and emotional rather than physical. The body reacts with the ‘fight or flight’ response but we can’t fight or run away and so we have no chance to use up the adrenaline. We feel wound up but have no way to release the hormones and restore our balance. The strain of being constantly on red alert in today's fast-paced world depletes our immune system and can lead to illness or burnout.

But you can learn to be aware of your own stress response and then reverse it. Through Autogenic Therapy, you can learn to switch off the stress response and switch on its opposite - the relaxation response - to restore your body's natural balance.

Further reading:  Dr. Chandra Patel, The Complete Guide to Stress Management

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