What is stress and how can we reduce it?

Originally, comes the long become a buzzword term "stress" from the English, especially from the material testing. Here we mean by stress, the stress and strain of metals and glass.

In medicine and psychology, "stress" transferred in 1950 by the father of stress research, Hans Selye, the first time on humans. Stress is the physical and psychological responses of the organism to stress. The immediate causes are called stressors.

What is stress?

Stress is the reaction to stressors. And indeed - so that the whole is again quite human disease - congenital and acquired. Stress is nothing what we expected only in the present society, but a reaction that will allow us quickly to changing circumstances.

Stress is also an activation response of the whole organism with its current strength, his experience, his motives and thought patterns to stressors, ie everything that is assessed individually, as a requirement, as a threat or harm.

As early as 1936 began with Selye's stress research. He said that the different things such as cold, heat, drugs, grief, joy, first create an identical response in the body. Today we know that there certainly are differences in the reactions, because the body releases various hormones.

What the stress mechanism has he really is the point? What do we need him? And since when did we see him? He is definitely warning signs! A look back at our history makes that clear.

Stress in the evolution

Stress is an ancient program of our genes. We conduct ourselves today, similar to our ancestors and many other mammals. Sense of the stress response is the life support initially by a knee-jerk attack or escape mechanism. When danger threatens, it comes through the general adaptation syndrome quickly to a huge activation energy and mobilization.

But off the exaggeration of stress and the inability to burn-out may be, the new social disease. According Barmer GEK health report 2010 one in ten disease has become mentally conditioned, the true figure is much higher.

Stress and burnout

Provocative question from me: If the employer's fault? Mark Spaeth said: "The individual burnout begins when the employee is hooked on money, status, title." This is a permanent ladder.

The many spectacular cases of burn-out in recent weeks have finally brought the issue of STRESS on the agenda of our lives, what has long been a taboo subject. We now have the great opportunity to approach without blame and with serious help will, in the matter.

Thus, for example, ZDF in magazines this topic and even down to the professions and their downtime. Professional football players are unfortunately not there. It is spoken in recent months as many of them.

Forms of stress and prevention

But what can individuals do to run stress prevention and what supports it?

In 2000, the statutory health insurance, on the recommendation of the European Union has issued a guide prevention in order to "ensure protection against disease and promote health."

In paragraph 20.1 of the Social Code Book V makes the legislature "the primary prevention as a reference to a provision of the health problem with strong character obligates obligating ..." which means as much as everyone has the right to reimbursement and application of measures of stress management.

These include well-known and easy to learn techniques such as:

• Progressive relaxation,
• Autogenic training,
• Hatha Yoga,
• Tai Chi and Qigong.

In many institutions, especially in the folk high schools, courses are conducted by qualified persons. These measures are usually subsidized by health insurance.

Another way to get the appropriate training is that you check with your insurance company, where, when, what courses are conducted. Then you can often already in place provide a grant application and your health maintenance will cost you only a small contribution.

The important thing is that you do not even stress the Lord let himself be over, but proactively do something about - true to the saying: prevention is better than cure.