Engineers, physicists and those with technical expertise in the physical world, understood the nature of stress long before it was popularised as a risk to human health.

Stress was understood to be a force, tension or pressure exerted in the physical world, usually against an object.  No positive or negative connotation applied to stress, but rather it was accepted as an observable and measurable phenomenon.  Buildings, transportation, dams and bridges were designed to withstand a range of inevitable and understood stresses.  Experts calculate, design and construct, knowing that poor physical design results in breakdown sooner or later.  

Stress as a health concept, and more particularly as a mental health concept, appears to have developed from the late 1950’s.  (Some credit Dr Hans Selye as one of the earliest proponents of stress as a critical factor in human health, as early as the 1920’s).   In the most simplistic of terms, too much stress (“stress” referring to adverse life circumstances and/or events) reduced the human body’s capacity to function effectively, resulting in a variety of illnesses and conditions.  

Over time the scope of this concept has expanded to acknowledge the adverse effect of circumstances and events.  Most “baby-boomers” can probably remember first hearing the term “post-traumatic stress disorder” and immediately drawing the conclusion that the sufferer was a “head-case” to start with.  Fortunately, the correlation between life’s trials and the physical and mental health of people is now widely recognised and acknowledged.

Currently, it is common to hear of stress described as “eustress” (the positive forces that get you up, moving and engaged in life) and “dis-tress” (where life’s pressures impair our ability to function physically or mentally).  These descriptors are useful, if for no other reason than they remind us that we need motivating forces to both survive and enjoy living.

However, stress is stress.  Similar circumstances can provoke radically different responses in different people.  Responses are affected by so many things, such as;

• The individuals perception of reality and the value they ascribe circumstances or events,  A simple example may be contracting a common illness such as measles.  Person A may feel overwhelmed by the pain and discomfort, whereas Person B might take the view: “This is unpleasant, but it’s one less thing to deal with later”.  Person B is likely to feel less stressed as they focus on better times ahead.
• Understanding of what is happening.  Humans are instinctively ill at ease or frightened by the unknown.  However, when there is a lucid explanation, (or predictability), the feelings of distress are reduced.
• The frequency and severity of other adverse circumstances and events experienced by an individual.  That favorite parental phrase, “I’ve had it up to here with…[fill in the blank…]” is an everyday expression of this idea.
• Individual differences in the ability to accommodate stress whilst continuing to function well over the long term.  Who can explain this?

Just in case you missed it, the above heading is intended as irony.  Humans arrive in this world, with fairly standard "equipment".  We all make the best of it that we can.  Certainly, our backgrounds and opportunities in life have a major bearing on how we perceive and respond.  Every individual has capacity to manage a degree of stress successfully, and most of us would have plenty of scope for improvement in this area.

 However, we are not buildings, or aircraft, or hydro-electric dams.  No engineer can weld on a couple of extra braces, pour in a little more concrete, or design in a crumple zone to shore up our defences.  This is where the concept of stress, as derived from the industrial/construction contexts is fundamentally flawed.  As humans approach the limit of their capacity to cope, it is the stress that must be modified, as much as the subject on which the stress is acting.

Modifying stressors is a tangled task, as we collectively create them at a societal level.  For example, most of us no longer work to live.  We work to “consume” at well above the subsistence level.  Societal expectations about standards of living drive our consumption (also known in more historic terms as greed!).  We work harder to reach the standard.  The bar however, is continually raised, driving us through a cycle of expectation, effort and attainment until we are worn out with the effort.  

Ironically, improved standards of health also bring stressors.  As we approach our middle years there are a barrage of tests, medications, preventative treatments and secondary health services that we struggle to fit within our schedule.  Paradoxically, we often suffer from long term eating, sleeping and other disorders as we frantically try to stall the aging process and squeeze more into our days..

It seems to me that many of the common stressors within society have a basis in denial, or ill-conceived optimism.  (i.e. - “I can afford that 2 storey,  5 bedroom house in Suburb X”, when the 3 bedroom in Suburb Y is sufficient for our needs; or denial of aging and mortality).  Denial sets us up for sustained and significant stress over the long-haul.

Conversely, there are some areas of life from which we should expect more and invest the corresponding effort.  For example, it is common wisdom (and with good reason) that relationships should be an important focus in life.  Whether with friends or family, relationships are fundamental to our sense of identity.  They are also the aspect of life most compromised by a consumer lifestyle.

Quite apart from self-inflicted stress (albeit with the complicity of a consumerist society), there are many other unforeseeable potential factors that may lie ahead.  How wise would it be to keep our own burdens light in preparation for the unavoidable?

The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Scale identifies a whole range of life events or circumstances that are recognised stressors.  The scale ascribes each of these a value.  The list below is presented in order of the most significant stressors to the least significant.  Again, some allowance has to be made for individual differences in temperament and circumstance.

Whilst not strictly mathematically correct, if you have experienced more than half of these stressors within a 12 month period, your chances of a stress related illness increase from around 30% to anywhere from 50-80%.

• Death of spouse
• Divorce
• Marital separation
• Detention in jail, other institution
• Death of a close family member
• Major personal injury or illness
• Marriage
• Fired from work
• Marital reconciliation
• Retirement
• Major change in the health or behavior of a family member
• Pregnancy
• Sexual difficulties
• Gaining a new family member (eg through birth, adoption etc.)
• Major business re-adjustment (eg merger, reorganization, bankruptcy)
• Major change in financial status
• Death of close friend
• Change to different line of work
• Major change in the number of arguments with spouse
• Taking out a mortgage or loan for a major purchase
• Foreclosure on a mortgage or loan
• Major change in responsibilities at work
• Son or daughter leaving home (eg marriage, attending college)
• Trouble with In-laws
• Outstanding personal achievement
• Spouse beginning or ceasing to work outside the home
• Beginning or ceasing formal schooling
• Major change in living conditions
• Revision of personal habits (dress, manners, associations, etc.)
• Trouble with boss
• Major change in working hours or conditions
• Change in residence
• Change to a new school
• Major change in usual type and/oramount of recreation
• Major change in church activities (a lot more or less than usual)
• Major change in social activities (clubs, dancing, movies, visiting)
• Taking out a mortgage or loan for a lesser purchase (eg for a car, TV, freezer, etc.)
• Major change in sleeping habits
• Major change in the number of family get-togethers
• Major change in eating habits
• Vacation
• Christmas season
• Minor violations of the law (eg traffic tickets, etc. )

Is stress snapping at your heels?  If so, what can you do about it?

Consider these options:

• Change your lifestyle - want less of the window dressing and more of the substance.  You might consider “downsizing” the house, car or whatever is weighing you down.  In moments of reflection or daydream, what is it that you see yourself doing?  Where are you? Who are you with?  These moments will provide clues as to where your heart lies.
• Change your attitudes - no one wants to face adversity when there is a less painful option.  There is no avoiding adversity, however.  By all means, deal with the circumstances at hand rationally and as best as you can.  But remember to keep your eyes on a more positive horizon.  Better times almost always arrive.
• Identify your pressure points - Where are your major stressors evident? - Work? Family? Social? Health? Financial?  A planned approach toward even small gains is preferable to succumbing to despair.  Small gains are worth investment of time and energy.  Make the investment.  Reflect on, and celebrate successes as they happen.

It is almost inevitable that as you make positive changes in one area, and see the benefits, that a more positive attitude and experience will eventuate with regard to all areas of your life.  We only live once.  Don’t let you be the cause of your regrets.

(Try the Personal Resilience Assessment Tool to learn more about your adaptability.)