In this edition of the Stress Cops PodCast Radio Show we bring you a stress reducing article by stress cop Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler. Learn the *real* difference between good stress and bad stress -- and how to develop stress reduction and stress management skills to make more of your stress a positive and very healthy experience.
You have heard a lot lately about the dangers of stress, and how stress can damage your immune system. But stress also has the potential to *strengthen* your immune system. The difference is how you respond to the stress in your life.
Scientists have known for some time that intense chronic stress is a primary cause of health problems because it depresses the health of our immune system. But this is not to suggest you should try to lead a stress free life. That is probably impossible.
Response vs Reaction
The difference between good and bad stress is often controllable. Here is why: Stress is *not* an event. Stress is actually your response or reaction to an event. That begins in your mind with an attitude – which leads to an interpretation, and then to a physiological reaction to your interpretation of the event.
For example: Suppose you feel annoyed (stress) with a co-workers behavior. Among the possible outcomes are: You can internalize your stress and do nothing; you can instantly *react* to the person with open anger; you can choose to *respond* to the person by opening a discussion of the stress producing issue, and try to sort things out.
This is a situation in which you can just react – or instead make a stress management decision to respond and seek some form of resolution.
But sometimes we face a stress situations we can only passively cope with by trying not to focus on the event. For example, if a loved one dies, all you can do is try to deal with your negative feelings because you are powerless to change the source of your stress.
An Interesting Research Study
University of Amsterdam researchers wondered how these two different types of stressful situations affect your immune system. To find an answer they conducted an experiment.
Thirty-four undergraduate students were exposed to three different types of stress creating conditions: (1) A time-paced memory test measured their active coping abilities; (2) A stressful situation involving passive coping involved showing the students a video of various surgical operations; and (3) A baseline control situation had the students watch a boring documentary.
The researchers took samples of saliva from each participants mouth before, during and after each of the three situations.
They then measured the amount of secretory immunglobulin A (S-IgA) present in the saliva samples. S-IgA is secreted by your body to protect against the invasion of microorganisms and toxins. The less S-IgA present, the higher the risk of health problems such as upper respiratory infection. The participants also completed a questionnaire after each test to further measure their stress levels.
The students reported feeling equal stress from both the memory test, and the intense surgery video. But the S-IgA tests revealed a critical difference: Although the students reported feeling equally stressed in both conditions, their levels of S-IgA increased in the active stress condition (the memory test) -- but decreased in the passive stress condition (the surgery video).
These findings indicate that the students in the passive stress condition were less defended against microorganism and toxin invasions during the passive stress condition over which they had no control (the surgery video).
But interestingly, they were actually better defended than normal (high S-IgA levels) in response to the stressful situation they did have control over (the memory test).
Why This is Important
Based on this experiment, it seems that all stressful situations are not equal. Passive stress situations over which you have no control seem to have a debilitating effect on your immune system. But in the case of active stress situations you have control over – your body seems to respond with very positive actions.
Assuming this effect extends to other aspects of your immune system, it now seems obvious that more active stress coping strategies are superior. By actively dealing with your stress instead of passively trying to ignore it, you may better protect your health.
What You Can Do
If you have difficulty breaking a negative response to the stress in your life, you may want to do some mental re-programming to improve how you responds. Your stress response is a habit. And like any other habit, it will only go away if replaced with other behavior patterns. One way to modify your response to stress is to build the ability to laugh it away.
But over thirty years of research have proven that brainwave training is the fastest instant stress reducer. Instant stress management is great. But a regime of alpha/theta (A-T) brainwave training has an even bigger payback -- it trains your brain to easily order your mind and body to relax on its own, and makes you far more creative.
The cited research: Bosch, J. A., Kelder, A., Veerman, E. C. I., Hoogstraten, J., Nieuw Amerongen, A. V., De Geus, E. J. C. (2001). Differential effects of active versus passive coping on secretory immunity. Psychophpysiology, 38, 836-846.
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
© 2005 All Rights Reserved
The author, Stress Cop Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a pioneer brain/mind researcher, doctor of psychology, author, life adventurer, and international executive advisor. You will find more of her stress management and stress reduction articles at Quantum-Self.com -- the Self Discovery Community, and in the Quantum Brain Gym -- the web's first brain gym and brainwave training center as close as your computer.
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