I focus on stress because most of my clients come to me with chronic physical issues and mental exhaustion caused by ongoing and prolonged stress factors. 

Stress is often viewed as an inevitably destructive force that can ultimately lead to physical or mental deterioration. However, the main chemicals produced in the body during stressful situations—adrenaline and noradrenaline—are also released in contexts associated with excitement and pleasure, such as sports competitions and sexual activity. This indicates that a life completely devoid of stress would be extraordinarily boring. 

Problems arise when stress levels exceed a certain threshold, which can vary from person to person. When this happens, stress can negatively affect our physical and mental well-being, potentially leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and disrupted sleep. This often prompts individuals to seek help.

Neurodiversity 

Often my clients with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), who may already experience challenges such as hyperactivity, attention deficits, and impulsive behaviour, find themselves overwhelmed just trying to navigate daily life. They face pressures such as meeting school or work deadlines, handling homework, coping with high expectations from, for instance, parents, and supervisors at work, and managing interactions on social media and with peers, and colleagues.

Medication is not necessarily a healthy solution. 

Unfortunately, many people often choose the ‘easy route’ in their efforts to manage their symptoms of stress. This is where we find that tranquilisers can provide immediate and dramatic relief. However, while they may alleviate symptoms, they do nothing to address the underlying causes of stress. The fact that thousands of tons of tranquilisers are consumed annually worldwide points to serious issues such as habituation, addiction, withdrawal reactions (including rage), and the potential long-term worsening of acute anxiety symptoms. This suggests that relying solely on tranquilisers is not a viable solution.

Many individuals, including members of the medical profession, are becoming increasingly concerned about the rapid rise in tranquiliser consumption. As a result, they are exploring alternative methods of managing stress and, ideally, learning to harness it for personal benefit. 

Excessive stress is undeniably linked to various conditions and illnesses

The development of various illnesses, chronic disabilities, and even death. Conditions such as smoking, alcoholism, depression, coronary thrombosis, strokes, nervous exhaustion, and suicidal thoughts can all be associated with stress. Furthermore, stress can worsen pre-existing serious illnesses; for example, individuals with multiple sclerosis or cancer may experience faster disease progression if they struggle with stress management compared to those who do not. Addressing stress appropriately is crucial for both mental and physical health. While it has long been recognised that stress can negatively impact our health, scientifically validated correlations between both acute and chronic stress and immune system disturbances were only first reported in the early 1970s. 

Notably, some of the earliest findings came from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the USA, where it was discovered that even super-fit individuals, like astronauts, experienced impaired immune systems due to the stress of space travel. These findings were later confirmed through various experiments conducted on healthy medical students, military cadets, accountants, and others. It was observed that when any of these groups were subjected to chronic or acute stress, their overall immunity was compromised, and it took time for the immune system to return to normal once the stress was alleviated. The connection between an altered immune state and the onset of malignant diseases, such as cancer, as well as acute stress from bereavement, job loss, or other threatening situations, is well documented. Research indicates that individuals under stress are significantly more likely to develop cancer, particularly those who struggle to manage feelings of anger, depression, and frustration, often repressing or denying these emotions. 

Childhood deprivation  

Early childhood deprivation, loneliness, lack of social support, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness may also contribute to the onset and progression of illness. Those showing a combination of these factors tend to experience more severe diseases, and their prognosis is often poorer. This is especially true for individuals who accept their diagnosis resignedly without expressing their feelings. In contrast, those who work through the initial shock and denial and adopt a fighting attitude, believing they can overcome their illness, generally have better outcomes. 

Our Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system regulates automatic functions of the body, such as breathing, heartbeat, bowel movements, circulation, and hormonal balance, which were once thought to be beyond our control. The sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of this system operate in opposing directions. The sympathetic system governs our fight-or-flight response, while the parasympathetic system facilitates psychophysiological relaxation. A healthy balance between these systems is vital for our well-being. The key to making stress work for you rather than against you lies in the ability to switch at own WILL, between a sympathetic-dominated state and a parasympathetic-dominated state. 

Autogenic Training can help you achieve this balance, preventing you from becoming stuck in an overactive state, which can lead to anxiety, depression, insomnia, exhaustion, or other stress-related conditions.