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What is Stress?

Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to positive or negative situations in your life, such as a new job or the illness of a loved one. Stress itself isn't abnormal or bad. What's important is how you deal with stress.

Stress basics

• The right amount of stress can give you energy and purpose.
• Too much stress can be harmful to your health, your mood, and your relationships.
• Stress affects the body, mind, and behavior.
• Research has shown that being a family caregiver can be an extremely stressful job. Caregivers report more chronic diseases than non-caregivers.
• Protect yourself by making stress resilience skills part of your daily routine.

• Our perceptions and self-talk determine what we find stressful. Even if we can't take away the stressor, we can change how we perceive it and reduce the stress level.

What is Stress Resilience?

Resiliency has been defined as the ability to cope well with high levels of ongoing, disruptive change. Resiliency allows us to bounce back from setbacks, and sustain good health under pressure.

It also helps us change to a new way of living or working when the old way is no longer possible. Caring for a loved one with a brain injury often requires us to adapt to changes and learn new ways of moving ahead in life.

Stress resilience means that you can deliberately direct your body to shift from a stress response to a more relaxed and focused state. This can be a life-enhancing skill for caregivers.

Several techniques and strategies have been proven to boost resilience.