Introduction to Stress

“You look stressed”. Ever heard that before? Yes, I had and assumed it was normal. Perhaps that is the problem, being stressed has become the norm.

Anthropologists say it is built into our genes. I have read that it goes back to the days when we needed to be mentally alert to run from or react to danger. That sounds a plausible explanation to me as does the statement that there are two types of stress, positive and negative. To achieve a result, especially to a timescale, we need the adrenalin flow to drive us to success but if that turns into overload too often then we are in trouble. After a period of “stress” or being “on a high” we need time to “come down”. If you don’t get that time, then in my experience it takes more than a little relaxation or personal time to relieve the stress.

When I was younger I do not remember feeling “stressed”. I felt a little pressured when examination time came around. In my first jobs I sometimes felt pressure but never to a level where I would describe it as stress. The other thing was that a good weekend cleared the mind, relaxed the body and prepared me for that Monday morning. I have noticed that as the grey appeared in my hair I became more stressed and it became more difficult to relax after great periods of stress. It is reassuring to read the experts view that this is normal.

So is stress a new thing? It is said that we live in stressful times. I am not sure that our lives are more stressful than our parents or grandparents; maybe it is a different kind of stress. Life is lived at a faster pace, of that there is no argument. I remember as a youngster hearing that someone “is living on their nerves” or “suffering with nerves”. Give it new name if you like but to me it is the same thing.