Chronic stress is commonly blamed as a cause of disease. But how can the stress response be the cause of the problem?

The stress response is one of the body’s innate survival mechanisms. It is designed to alert you to, and deal with, a threat (a stressor). The threat is the cause of the disease, not the body’s response to it.

When you are exposed to a threat, the body silently communicates this to you. Whether or not you chose to listen to this message is up to you.

Blaming stress as the problem is erroneous because it implies the body is doing something wrong. Stress is the body’s way of attempting to restore balance.

Dealing with stressors might simply require a shift in your perspective, so that you no longer perceive it as such. It might require slight changes to your daily routine. It might mean having to completely alter the course of your life. Either way, you don’t have to put up with it.

Living a relatively stress free life is within your control