This article focuses on wellness and the impact stress has upon it. We all go through good and bad times, but how we get through our ups and downs without being thrown off balance for too long, is important. Let us begin by defining some of the terminology as it relates to stress to better understand what it is and what can be done about it. A stress or stress reaction is the way our bodies react when extra demands are made on our minds, our feelings or our bodies. A stressor is something difficult that happens in our lives or in our surroundings like a large barking dog rushing towards you, someone repeatedly telling you to hurry up, being teased, chosen to be in the class play, having to move away from friends and school or getting all excited about your birthday or a special trip coming up.
Tension is when our bodies feel stiff and our muscles are pulled tight.
Good stress can be managed and controlled. If bad stress or distress goes on and on, we have a hard time managing or controlling it. Researchers have found that our health is affected by the way our feelings, our minds and our bodies respond to the things that happen to us. When we have extra demands upon us, we feel tense because we have to think and work harder. Our minds send out alarms to all systems in our bodies so that we can do the extra work.