Controlling the effects of stress: Debilitating or motivating: You can decide

Technically speaking, stress is a physiological condition of the body — a state of arousal and excitation in response to a perceived danger or threat. Stress does not have to be a negative experience; in fact, well-managed stress can represent a valuable mechanism for transformation and growth. The Chinese language contains a clue to the two sides of stress. The Chinese character for “crisis” is composed of the symbols for “danger” and “opportunity.” In the positive stress cycle, we respond in a way that promotes growth for even greater strength when we confront new stressful situations. However, we actually make ourselves ill when we are unable to manage the level of stress in our lives.