On The Ravages of Stress . . .

Types and degrees of stressful situations vary according to the differences of environment. Whether they involve severe situations (child abuse, harassment, divorce, rape) or superficially temporal experiences (traffic incidence, lover's spat, returned check), everyone experiences them. The number of psychological and physiological reactions from the same type of stressor can equal the number of the different types of situations themselves.

For instance, while one individual can apparently emerge unscathed, another could incur a phobia or an illness or impairment, such as ulcers or heart disease. The problem here, however, is that many of these symptoms do not show up until later in life . . . when it is too late. In that specific respect, it might be analogized to insurance: You want to address it before you need it. Yet that is where the analogy breaks down: Our bodies have less tolerance toward "pre-existing conditions" than do insurance underwriters.

Probably the most common mistake in one's attempt to cope with stress, however, is to address the situation rather than how it is viewed. A specific emotional reaction is less dependent on the type of stressful situation involved than on one's internal representation of what that situation means to him or her. While it remains important to alter or change when possible one's environment in such cases, it is even more vital that the counselor guide the stressor's victim toward the realization that his or her representation of the situation is the major cause of his or her anxiety, assuming, of course, that the situation itself is not currently imposing a significant physical threat.

It is, therefore, important to get tension and stress under control while there is time. Only two factors are involved here: (1) do it right and (2) just do it. If you need assistance in this, I have a website especially designed for it. Go to here for a free video, and I will help you today.