Introduction to Stress

Stress is a situation where our mind and body believe that it has to be in the state of alert all the time. It recognizes stress as a normal situation. This results in alteration in attention, thought processes, body functions and structures (organs of our body) resulting in various physiological and psychological conditions.Stress gets in the way of the true expression of your ideal self. Stress is also associated with ill health, weakened immune systems, and low physical functioning. 

Think back to a stressful experience you had recently, and notice the way you reacted physically to that situation. Chances are that your heart was beating fast, your stomach felt knotted up, your muscles were tense. This is known as the fight-or-flight response, and it is triggered by the fears that are activated in stressful situations.


Once upon a time the fight-or-flight response kept the human species alive. Today, that same stress response is killing us physically, blocking us emotionally, hindering us mentally, and making it difficult for many of us to move toward our goals.

Interrupting the Stress response

When we experience stress, we are actually responding to feelings or fears of helplessness, hopelessness, rejection, abandonment, or loss of control. If you can interrupt your response to stress, you can habituate yourself to finding the underlying fear that has triggered your reaction, and you can then turn your fears into a series of positive experiences.

The next time you feel yourself physically responding to stress, stop and tell yourself to relax. Take a deep breath. Then take control of your response by creating an image of the most personally desirable outcome of this stressful situation. Focus the outcome upon yourself and upon the inner powers that you have been cultivating throughout this program.

We already know that thoughts are energy in motion. Think something, and it is on its way to becoming a reality. Therefore, by focusing your thoughts upon a positive outcome to any situation—an outcome that is centered upon your own alignment with universal energy and shaped in the causal domain—then you will always be able to circumvent and control stress.

Action Exercise: Transforming Core Emotions That trigger stress

A person who causes you stress: _____________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

Emotions and fears this person triggers: ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Enter your ideal state. Close your eyes and find your way to the causal domain. Now bring to mind an individual whom you have trouble dealing with. Think of a time when you experienced stress dealing with this person. Where in your body do you notice the effects of this stress? Did you feel fear or anger? Were those emotions triggered by helplessness? Hopelessness?

When you know the answers to these questions, consider what positive message or intentions this emotion can have for you. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, think of a more useful emotion for dealing with this type of person.

Now, from the causal domain, create the outcome you desire, using the new response. Mentally rehearse these new, positive responses and resources. Experience the benefits over time, and envision these changes coming into your being in the physical realm. Imagine yourself responding to stressful situations with these new responses. See yourself relaxed in the same situation you envisioned before. Create how you want to feel. See your posture relaxed, your breathing calm.

Now take a deep breath, and become aware of the qualities of your ideal self. Finish this exercise with an awareness of the new choices and new responses you will carry with you into life.

Key Points

  1. Stress is a common problem that affects almost all of us at some point in our lives. Learning to identify when you are under stress, what is stressing you, and different ways of coping with stress can greatly improve both your mental and physical well being.
  2.  Many different things can cause stress -- from physical (such as fear of something dangerous) to emotional (such as worry over your family or job.) Identifying what may be causing you stress is often the first step in learning how to better deal with your stress

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