Stress is a silent killer. Since we do not pay attention to it, we forget that it is pivotal in the development of cancer, stroke, and cardiac diseases [the top three causes of death], but plays a significant role in EVERY health issue we are dealing with in our lives. Stress plays a major role in addiction problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, including smoking. It is also deeply implicated in compulsive behaviors such as overeating. At a time when our physical bodies are being overwhelmed by the toxins in our environment, most people would be surprised to learn how stress causes our bodies to increase that toxic load from within. This is due to the stress response of the body, which goes back to flight or fight reaction that served us well in historical times, but is less adapted to the constant and chronic types of stress we experience today.

One of the first things we need to do in attempting to make positive change in our lives is to get more information. As we start to think about the issue, we can assess what our stress load is and where it is coming from. Psychologists have a scale for rating stress in our lives, and many people may feel that if they do not have a major stressor such as a death in the family, a major move, a job change, a life-threatening illness and so on, that their stress load must not be worth worrying about. However, most people have so many chronic low-level stressors in their lives that the net effect is equivalent to having one or more of the major ones.

Some examples of these low-level stressors can include constant noise, poor lighting, radiation from TVs or computer screens, eye strain, dehydration, poor diet, being either too hot or too cold, being subjected to fumes or noxious odors and the list goes on. These are examples of environmental or physical stressors. Relationships can be chronic emotional stressors such as employer/employee, marital, parent/child [especially teenagers], etc. Mental stress can result from constantly having to learn new material to do your job, by being a student, having too many facets of your life to juggle at once, or by being expected to produce results without adequate training or with inadequate tools or materials. People often suffer from spiritual stressors as well. An example of this would be someone who feels they have not found their purpose or calling in life. These are just a few examples of chronic stressors which we may face. The actual list is exhaustive and is limited only by the number of people and their unique situations on this planet.

The good news is that there are many tools we can use to mitigate the effects of stress in our lives. Learning self-hypnosis is one of the most effective tools available to us, and is easily learned by anyone with the interest and intent to do so. Some people pick this skill up virtually immediately, and others may need to practice it over time to perfect it, but anyone can learn this with persistence. See the side bar on information on the next Self-Hypnosis for Stress-Relief class, then come and learn what you can do to address the stress in YOUR life.