Secrets of Women's Healthy Ageing by Cassandra Szoeke

Author:Cassandra Szoeke [Cassandra Szoeke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780522877236
Publisher: Melbourne University Publishing
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

WHEN STRESS TURNS TO DISTRESS

It is not just stress or negative events that make us unwell. The impact these have on our lives depends on how we handle these situations. The original medical definition of stress, by the Greek physician Hippocrates in the fifth century BCE, was pathos ponos, meaning incessant, relentless suffering—a description of how we feel when we are stressed. A study of mechanics offers further insight: in physics, stress is described by Hooke’s Law as relating to the elasticity of an object—its ability to endure strain, being bent out of shape, and capacity to return to its usual state.

This is a good way to think about stress and distress. It reminds us that it is no good pretending that we are not bent out of shape and should ‘just feel better’. It also makes clear that in many ways, any change exerts a certain stress upon us. Just like a spring, our response to this is accurately described as our capacity to ‘bounce back’. If overwhelmed, a spring will snap. Having—or developing—the ability to experience stress without feeling broken by it is crucial for our mental health.

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