The Principles of Stress

1.                  Introduction

2.                  What is stress?

3.                  What are the symptoms of stress?

4.                  What causes stress?

5.                  Is stress a friend or foe?

6.                  The fascinating history of stress theory

7.                  Do you know your signs of stress?

8.                  Where does stress come from?

9.                  How we create stress for ourselves

10.             Where stress really comes from

11.             Factors influencing our stressful interpretations

What is one condition that every doctor shares with every patient?  The one experience which all physicians can most easily relate to and empathize with?  The answer is STRESS.  It's everywhere.  We all know about stress from experiencing it - even suffering from it at times.  What we don't all know is what to do about it.  That's what this column will address in the months ahead.

Evidence of stress surrounds us: from cover stories in magazines to newspaper tales of road rage; from people looking harried and hurried to the face looking back at us in the mirror.

Statistics bear this out as well.  A recent study done by Decima Research for The Heart and Stroke Foundation reported that more than 40% of Canadians over the age of 30 say they often or almost always feel overwhelmed by stress on the job or with their families or finances or everyday experiences and duties.  Dr.  Rob Nolan, a Foundation spokesman said, "Most Canadians say stress plays a dominant role in their daily lives." Statistics Canada estimates that the annual cost of work time lost to stress is $12 billion per year.

As if the news of current stress levels isn't bad enough, the Decima Research study showed that only 26% of Canadians feel that they know how to handle their stress well.  Dr.  Nolan said the study indicated that people often cope with the stress by engaging in harmful lifestyle habits.  "About 75% of the respondents say their coping mechanisms include: eating fatty comfort foods, watching TV, smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol," he said.

It seems safe to say that stress is a huge problem in our society and that most of us are not handling it very well.

I became interested in stress in 1981 when I heard my first lectures on stress management at a cardiology meeting in Montreal.  I was hooked immediately.  I never realized how much was known about the subject and how practical it was in terms of everyday life.  Leaving Montreal feeling excited and exhilarated, I sought more information after returning to my home in Oakville, Ontario where I had been a family doctor for ten years.  Little did I know that those lectures were a watershed experience that would not only change my professional life, but would also have a profound impact on me personally.  One reason for my fascination with the subject is that I could see how helpful it would be for my patients.  But perhaps the more compelling reason is that I could see huge potential benefits for myself.  I was not the most laid-back guy in the world! And working in a high-pressure job only added to my stress.  Those first presentations explained things I had been experiencing most of my life, but had never understood until then.  I have pursued the subjects of stress theory and stress management with a passion that has not abated in almost 20 years.

Over time, I began to appreciate the widespread impact of stress not only on health and emotional well being, but also on energy, productivity, relationships, self-esteem, and overall quality of life.  Bringing stress management into my medical practice allowed me to get at the root causes of my patients' problems, providing a more holistic form of treatment and, in many cases, preventing recurrence of those problems.  I also made big progress in handling my own stress.

In 1985 I gave up general practice to devote myself full time to stress management and lifestyle counselling.  I have also presented lectures and seminars on these topics and have written two books and numerous articles on stress.

In this Resource Section I will be sharing what I've learned about stress from academic sources, from my patients and from my own personal experience.

Over my two decades in this field I've made many observations and have drawn several conclusions:

1. Most of the stress that most of us have is self-generated.  We create most of our own distress. 
2. We have more control than we think - but, too often, we don't use it. 
3. There is no silver bullet or quick fix for relieving stress (although exercise and relaxation techniques come pretty close).  To master stress we have to change. 
4. Stress Mastery is as much a MIND SET as it is a collection of tools and strategies.  It is the knowledge and confidence that, whatever happens, we will be able to handle it. 

In the months to come, I will be sharing numerous success stories to show that you, too, can take more control of your life and learn to handle stress with skill and confidence.  I hope you will join me in this ongoing discussion and my greater hope is that you will find the columns both enjoyable and beneficial.

What is stress?