Stress Mastery: The Art of Coping Gracefully

Chapter Summary

You always need to consider that stress is an inescapable part of modern life. Stress is anything that requires an adaptive response, so all changes (even positive ones) are stressful. The more changes in your life, the more vulnerable you can become to illness, bodily system breakdown, or emotional difficulties. Stress negatively affects your physical, psychological, and occupational functioning in a variety of ways. This is due to a physiological mechanism known as the fight-or-flight response, an ancient survival mechanism that prepares you to deal with physical danger. Although this response is very useful if you are faced with physical danger, it is also triggered by perceived danger. Most of the stressors we face in our ...