Now more than ever, scientific research is attesting the essential responsibility stress can play in triggering or aggravating various physical and emotional disorders. A cover story in the June 6, 1983 issue of Time Magazine labeled stress "The Epidemic of the Eighties." The article also declared that stress is a major health issue. And one has to recognize that today's world has become even more complex and stressful over the past two decades since that article was written.

A lot of surveys indicate that almost everybody feels that they are under a lot of stress. Researchers in the field estimate that around 75 to 90 percent of all visits to PCPs (Primary Care Physicians) are for stress related problems.

Most people say that their job is the major cause of their stress. The levels of stress have also soared in children and the elderly population for reasons including: Peer pressures that often push people to everything from smoking to alcoholism and drug abuse; the wearing away of religion and family values; increased crime rates; fear for personal security; as well as social isolation and loneliness.

Stress is a factor of conditions such as diabetes, ulcers, low back and neck pain, hypertension, strokes and heart attacks. This is due to the ever growing sympathetic nervous system activity and a flood of cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones. Chronic stress is corollary of lower immune system resistance. Stress can cause anxiety, depression, and its various impacts on the body's organs. "Stress" is defined as follows by the American Heritage Dictionary: "To subject to physical or mental pressure, tension, or strain"

The following is the definition of "tension" from the same dictionary: "Mental, emotional, or nervous strain"

It defines "anxiety" as follows: "A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties"

And the following is the definition of "depression": "The condition of feeling sad or despondent"

The following definition is given for "clinical depression": "A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death."

We can nonetheless be sure that our thoughts are the major reason for our experience of stress, anxiety and depression. Put differently, what we think about, and our attitudes and points of view about our experiences strongly influence our feelings. So if we can learn to alter our thoughts, attitudes, and points of view, then we can eliminate our stress, anxiety, and depression and replace them with a more positive state of being.

People have always sought out methods for getting rid of stress. With the pharmaceutical industry there seems to be a pill for everything. And to that end the industry has designed a wide line of anxiolytics from Valium to Xanax. If you choose to utilize drugs for relief, please be sure to be aware of the side-effects by reading the fine print, which often include addiction and dependency. Unfortunately, these sorts of drugs aim at curing the symptoms, rather than the cause. So as soon as one stops ingesting them, the symptoms can come back.

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