STRESS! It’s not going anywhere. Stressors are all around us. At work, at home, even the commute between these two places can turn your hair gray. The one thing you do have control over is your reaction to these stressors.
 
Stress can manifest itself as a whole range of physical symptoms. From weight gain to getting more colds, stress takes a toll on both our mental and physical health. When we are stressed, a cascade of neurologic and hormonal responses are elicited whether that stress is your boss yelling at you, or you’re being chased by your neighbor’s dog. When you’re being chased you expend the stress response byproducts while you are running. In the case of the stress caused by your home or work life you do not have a chance to dispel the stress response byproducts before a new stress comes knocking on your cubicle door.
 
The antidote to this stress response is the relaxation response. This is a conscious effort to quiet the stressful sound track so you can arrive at a place that is calmer and all the stress byproducts mentioned above are not coursing through your body. In this relaxed state you are able to make better decisions about your health and life.