Stress is the tension that arises as a psychological and physiological response to a challenge. Stress can be pleasant or unpleasant. We usually consider stress to be an unpleasant condition, but it is necessary and often enjoyable.

The positive aspects of stress.

	Stress stimulates us physically and psychologically. We all seek stress in various ways such as a challenging job, exhilarating relationships, competitive games, exciting television programs, dangerous sports, difficult hobbies, vacations to exotic locales, social events where we meet new people, fast cars, roller coasters, horror movies, or any activity that causes the body's release of adrenaline and endorphins. Without stress we would be bored, dull, and depressed.
	Stress is necessary for the body. Stress is displayed in muscle tone, muscle contractions including those of the heart and lungs, and the structural bonds that literally hold the body together. Without stress, we would be dead.
	Stress is our experience of the energy of life itself. Stress is energy in its natural state of suspension between material objects, including people and physical objects as they work toward resolution. This is the discharge of the energy from the higher charged object to the lower charged object. Spirit splits into two complementary poles for the purpose of manifestation in the dualistic worlds of materiality. When the split occurs, energy is released. This phenomenon is somewhat analogous to the release of energy when an atom is split by atomic fission. However, the energy is not dissipated as in a bomb, instead, it remains suspended as a bond between the polarized objects such as yin and yang, worker and goal, hunter and food, the needer and the needed, and any part of ourselves and whatever that part wants. We experience this suspended energy as stress. The two polarized objects are drawn back together by the force of the energetic bond. We experience this attraction in the form of motivation, creative impulses, psychological drives such as the ego's drive to manifest a personal physical environment, physiological drives such as hunger, or sexual tension, and the demands of our various obligations at work, at home and in our social life. When the polarized objects come into contact, they exchange energy as they discharge energy into one another. The stress is relieved, and we achieve a type of wholeness. We experience this completion in various forms such as, happiness, joy, relief, satisfaction, delight.

The negative aspects of stress.

	Severe, unrelenting stress can cause physical fatigue and illness. In a fast paced society, stress is responsible for many ailments.
	We can be unsuccessful in finding a productive means by which to satisfy our need for stress. Instead, we achieve the stimulation through destructive means such as recreational drugs, emotionalism, perhaps expressed in the form of arguments, and fighting as a in bar room brawls, or in our living room when our restless kids are confined inside on a rainy day.
	We experience stress in the form of desire and attachment. They are the dynamics by which the stress draws the opposites toward one another for their re-uniting.

Techniques for managing stress.

	Design-work. We can implant energy tones such as serenity, confidence, composure, poise, contentment, and optimism. Affirmation. "I enjoy stimulation and I enjoy relaxation.", "I accept my body's need for rest.", "I can manage the challenges of my life.", "I respect the cycles of activity and rest.". Directed imagination. We can visualize ourselves being relaxed in various situations that would usually be excessively stressful. Or we can visualize a peaceful scene. Modeling.
	We can develop our awareness of intuition. Intuition can give us many types of information such as a valuation of situations so that we know whether it is worthy of a stressful confrontation, instructions for managing challenges, an awareness of our need for stress, so that we acquire an adequate amount, but not an excessive amount, a discernment of the tasks that are ours to perform versus the tasks that we can surrender trustingly to life.
	We can accept stress as a part of life. In contrast, if we desire a stress free life, we cause additional stress because we fear and avoid life's conflicts, and we react with the added complications of anger and indignation whenever the inevitable difficulties occur.
	We can question our habitual responses to stressors. When we are preparing for a blind date, one person can experience fear and worry while the other person experiences excitement and the anticipation of pleasure. Regardless of our traditional view that a particular circumstance should cause a particular amount or type of stress, we are free to experience the stress in any way that pleases us. Our experience depends upon many factors, including the imagery that we apply to the upcoming event.
	We can take an active approach to our problems. Stress is the energy in any unresolved situation or problem. The stress increases if we feel powerless and inundated. Therefore, we can reduce stress by using problem solving skills, taking direct action, making decisions, being assertive, getting information that can lead to a resolution, setting goals and priorities, being well organized, using time management, and enhancing the situation's required skills such as job skills, computer skills, and conversational skills.
	We can increase our ability to relax. We can take breaks throughout the day. The break can be a walk, a hobby, a visit to a museum or park, a vacation even if it's only one day, a massage, a full night's sleep, a five minute visualization of a peaceful place, or another diversion. During this time, we are recharging from the strain of stress.
	We can question our goals. If we have too much stress in our life, we can have adopted too many material challenges. To decrease the stress, we can reduce the magnitude of some of our goals particularly if they are perfectionistic or unnecessarily competitive, and we can eliminate some of our other goals. Happiness does not come from the attainment of goals. It comes from the savoring of whatever we have acquired, so there is no reason to stockpile goods for which we do not have the time and the relaxed state for savoring.
	We can alter the amount of change. Stress is increased when we need to meet new challenges when our regular routine is changed for better or for worse. If we feel overwhelmed by the changes and the stress, we can counteract the problem by retreating to familiar places, hobbies, music, and friends. When we feel under whelmed, we can seek novelty, innovation, and surprises.
	We can exercise to reduce stress. Exercise reduces physiological stress in the form of muscle tension. Exercise can reduce psychological stress by diverting our attention from our complex intellectualizing to the simple, non-verbal basics of our body. It is a healthful form of escape.
	We can remove stressors from our environment. Those stressors include noise, bad lighting, disagreeable odors, an unpleasant view, insufficient privacy, and uncomfortable humidity or temperature.
	We can use this assortment of ideas: We can express our emotions. Emotional tension is released when we laugh, cry, sing, dance and so on. We can improve our nutrition. The body becomes over stimulated if we have a diet of sugar, alcohol, and valueless foods. We can consume less caffeine in the form of tea, coffee, and soda. We can maintain proper posture. If we slump, we create stress throughout the spine. We can get a pet. Our stress is reduced when we play with a pet. We can spend some time alone. We can distract ourselves from our dilemmas by helping other people on a one to one basis or through group volunteer work. Or, if we are stressing ourselves by doing too much for others at our expense, we can cut back on the helpfulness and instead take care of our own needs.

Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.

Plato

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Last modified: April 13, 2008