subject: Gain An Edge By Understanding What Is Stress And Its Causes [print this page] Most people know all about stress because each one of us experiences a certain amount of it as a natural side effect of our life. If you want to know what is stress then you need to look to the common perception of stress and that is not too difficult to understand. At its core, stress is the effect on the human body of outside forces pushing in.
It is mental, emotional or physical tension generated from outside things exerting pressure upon us. This means that our bodies generate tension in response to what they perceive as stress rather than stress naturally occurring inside ourselves. This is a very key distinction that makes a huge difference for us, especially over time.
What many of us do not realize is that when we have developed the ability to discern what is stress causing and what is merely an activity, we are going to have a strong edge. When we understand how our body perceives and handles stress, at all levels, then we can begin to fight it by either avoiding or releasing it. There are many different ways to treat stress build ups and once we discover them, we can really take this on for better health.
The first thing we want to do is gain an understanding of just what it is that we are being stressed by. When you are looking at what is stress for the physical body then you want to look at factors such as heat or cold around us, sensory input like noise, the food we put into our bodies and similar things. Basically, the things that are coming out our body from outside of it can often generate stress. This is why retreating to a quiet area, adjusting our diets or seeking out climates where our body is more comfortable, even if that means air conditioning, are all ways to attack stress.
However, what is stress in the mind is a bit different. This is closely tied in with the emotions and is often based on our perceptions. Perceptions tend to be shaped by information. If we are stressed by the presence of a dog, for example, this could be rooted in the false belief that all dogs are dangerous to us. By changing what we know or believe about dogs, we can rid ourselves of that type of stress.
These are the basics of how people adjust either themselves or their circumstances to help them fight stress. The key way to be able to understand it is to think about the effects you feel and then trace them back to the trigger points. While expert help can be sought, many times we can solve problems on our own or with the help of friends.
