Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, and has become so pervasive, that it seems to permeate everything and everybody. There is Job Stress in Lawyers, Doctors, CEO's, Police, Taxi Drivers, Housewives, Children, Teen Agers, Senior Citizens, etc. There is the stress of Bereavement, Divorce, Poverty, Social Isolation, Moving, Retirement, Attending School, Child Rearing, etc. , etc., etc. And there is also heightened media attention because of growing confirmation of the role of stress in Heart Disease, Hypertension, Sudden Death, Depression, Anxiety, Smoking, Obesity, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, Cancer, Arthritis, Gastrointestinal, Skin, and a host of infections and immune system disorders.

It's hard to get through a day without hearing or reading something about . Time magazine's June 6, 1983 cover story referred to stress as "The Epidemic of the 80's", as if it were some kind of new plague. However, numerous surveys confirm that the problem has progressively escalated since then. It's hard to get through the day without reading or hearing something about stress. Why all the commotion? After all, stress has been around since Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden.

Is it because there is more stress today? Is contemporary stress somehow different or more dangerous? Is the frenzy of media attention due to our increasing ability to explain the mechanisms of many stress induced disorders, and scientifically confirm what were previously dismissed as old wive's tales? Are unions and workers jumping on the stress bandwagon because of the growing financial awards for job stress related injuries? Are corporations attracted because they have increasingly been held liable for such awards? Or is it because they recognize that stress management training can be extremely cost effective, not only by reducing litigation and health expenses, but also absenteeism and worker turnover, thus improving productivity - and the all important bottom line?

The answer to all of these questions is a very resounding "YES!"

Stress is an unavoidale consequence of life. Without stress, there would be no life. However, just as distress can cause disease, there are good stresses that offset this, and promote wellness. Increased stress results in increased productivity - up to a point. However, this level differs for each of us. It's very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull, raspy sound. Too much makes a shrill, annoying noise, or causes the string to snap. However, just the right degree can create magnificent tones. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress that promotes optimal performance, and enables us to make melodious music.

The American Institute of Stress is committed to exploring and emphasizing the extraordinary potential for each of us to assume an active role in preventing disease and promoting health. Good health is more that just the absence of illness. Rather, it is a very robust state of physical and emotional well-being, that acknowledges the importance and inseparability of mind/body relationships. We welcome your joining us in the pursuit of learning how to harness stress, so that it can work for you, and make you more productive, rather than self-destructive.

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