Stress is like a balloon. When one inflates the balloon enough to
stretch its membrane to the point at which it resembles a sphere,
oval, or whatever shape it is designed to have, it loses that
limpness which it originally possessed. This is stress. The same
amount of pressure that it takes to inflate a paper bag would still
demonstrate the existence of observable stress. The level of stress
that is observed in an inflated paper bag or in an equally inflated
balloon is actually a "good" type of stress. In the balloon
example, even though the balloon is inflated, the rubber membrane
has so much "give" or "flexibility" that you can actually squeeze
it firmly without the balloon bursting. This level of stress is
actually more desirable than the absence of stress. Interpersonal
Communication specialists call this desirable stress "eustress." In
everyday life, we notice times when we are in need of eustress.
Although some stress is enjoyable, too much stress can be
experienced negatively. Consider the balloon discussed earlier.
when it is inflated further, it is less accommodating to poking and
prodding. Even with this medium-inflation, however, it would take
strong prodding to cause it to burst. This is called "managing
stress." When humans, in a similar state, feel less willing to
"give" in to pokes and become more "rigid" in their attitudes, they
are frequently experiencing heightened stress in their lives.
Taking the process of inflation to the limit, we envision a balloon
that has become so stretched to contain the air pressure that it
can be stretched no further. This is called "distress." At this
stage, even the lightest finger poke will produce an explosion. In
human terms, we have all witnessed occasions when an
unsuspecting-but-benign individual "teases" a friend in a gentle
way. Suddenly, the "teased" one explodes in a vituperative fury
Clearly, having zero stress is not an option for humans. We crave
some level of stress. On the other hand, having too much stress is
not acceptable either. The secret to human happiness as it regards
stress is to constantly maintain some medium level of inflation in
the balloon. If there are times in which more stress is desirable,
it is useful to know how to add stress--how to inflate the balloon
by finding stressors. If there are times in which less stress is
desirable, we need to be aware of the available "relief
valves"--the ways in which the balloon may be deflated. It is
expedient for all to be aware of the seven basic stressors and
their corresponding relief valves. As a mnemonic device, Lindsay
uses alliteration. Each stressor begins with the letter "C." If you
are a good navigator and chart your course using the information
that this book provides, you can successfully "sail the Seven C's
of Stress " Lindsay metaphorically takes the reader through seven
Cs of stress much as a captain successfully navigates a voyage at
sea. He groups the stressors into seven categories of stress:
Corporal (stress of the body), Community (stress experienced when
dealing with other people), Cash (stress concerning how to handle
money wisely), Chrono (stress dealing with managing time),
Competence (stress dealing with questions about one's ability to
perform a task), Confusion (stress pertaining to decision-making
and other situations in which one feels lost), and Conscientious
(stress concerning morality). An easy way to remember these seven
Cs is the mnemonic: "Common Corp: Time is Money " Notice that the
word "common" starts with "com," but has 2 M's. Use this to
remember that 2 of the 7 Cs begin with "com" (Community and
Competence). Then, notice that the 2nd part of "common" is the
syllable "on." Use this to remember that 2 of the 7 Cs begin with
"con" (Confusion and Conscientious). The second word in the
mnemonic is "Corp." This easily reminds you of the 5th of the 7 Cs
(Corporal). The phrase "Time is Money" reminds you of the final two
of the 7 Cs (Chrono and Cash).
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