We all have an opinion on stress, because, as human beings, we have all been there. Personally, I tend to think of stress as having two components.
Firstly, we have external pressure(s). These are as varied as we are individuals and at any one time we may be struggling with family illness or trouble with the neighbours. Humans are extraordinarily resilient to external pressures and we can all cope with a certain amount of stress before it becomes too much. Some people are more resilient than others. In fact, a certain amount of stress is needed in our lives to get us moving in the morning and out of the house!
The second component is our personal response. If the pressure increases or continues over a long period, we reach a threshold beyond which we cope less well. The coiled spring is a good analogy here to explain what happens at this stage. If you stretch a spring a short way, it will return back to its original shape. Imagine the amount of stretch representing the amount of pressure we are under. As the pressure increases, we are able to return to our normal selves once it eases for a short time. However, there comes a point where, like the spring, we become stretched too much and when the pressure relents we are unable to spring back to how we were. Things have become too much and stress starts to damage us and cause ill effects.
