Systematic Stress Management is a structured program designed to prevent and minimize the damaging effects of stress. The techniques presented are easy to learn and can be included in normal day to day activities. The system to Systematic Stress Management is made up of five simple steps:

The definition of stress management comes to us from the work of Hans Selye, M.D. He is considered a pioneer in medicine and stress research. Stress, according to Selye is, “the non-specific response of the body to any demand.” It does not matter whether or not it is caused by pleasant or unpleasant things. It does not matter whether or not it results in good or bad things. Stress is the automatic state that results when the body is told to make changes in order to adapt to any demand. This response is driven by hormones flowing throughout the human body. These hormones act like a conductor in an orchestra and tell the different systems of the body what to do. This is like the conductor telling what each group of instruments should do as they play the same song all together. So far, stress looks to be a very nice gift from Mother Nature.

Stress can be very positive as seen in Diagram A. The Stress and Productivity Curve demonstrates a theory that there is a direct link between stress and human productivity. As shown in the diagram, without stress, our productivity is low. With high levels of stress, again productivity is low. The key to optimal productivity seems to be moderate levels of stress. You might agree that your personal productivity leads to your satisfaction in life. This makes stress vital to us.

So what is the concern we all have about stress? Selye tells us, “The statement of, he is under stress, is just as meaningless as the expression, he is running a temperature.” What we actually mean by such phrases is an excess of stress or of body temperature. The stress of concern is the stress of excess.

In addition to the total amount of stress in the body being too much, one must also be aware of the amount of stress being experienced by part or parts of the body, in comparison to the total body. Selye names this concept The Stress Quotient:

The message to receive from The Stress Quotient is this. When a particular body part has more stress put upon it than the whole body, Selye suggests what is called diversion. Diversion is like taking a detour or making a distraction for the mind, or the body part, that is experiencing too much stress at the moment. Or, you might increase the total general stress response for the whole body to balance the quotient.

However, when the total body is experiencing too much stress or distress, the message is total rest. It becomes important that we each learn how to pay attention to the stress experienced by individual body parts and to the body in general. This can be done by learning distress signals and symptoms.