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The Importance of “Good Stress” (Positive Challenge), The Serious Negative Impacts of Chronic Stress, Resolving Stress, Stress Resilience — for Yoga Teachers, Yoga Therapists, Health & Wellness Coaches, Holistic Healthcare Providers

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, we explore the role of “good” stress and the consequences of chronic “bad” stress, plus strategies to build stress resilience.

Objective

Understand the role of “good” stress (positive challenge) and the significant negative impacts of chronic (“bad”) stress on immunity, disease, and overall health, plus the consequences of elevated stress hormones and strategies for developing stress resilience.

Description

Explain the origins and definitions of stress. Discuss positive challenge and adaptation, including eustress and hormesis, with examples of how too much comfort can be harmful and why good stress is essential for health. Examine chronic stress and its broad consequences—behavioral, mental, neurological, and cognitive—citing research on its effects on immunity and disease, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. Discuss the consequences of insufficient stress, including evidence from randomized controlled trials on prolonged bed rest. Present common coping techniques under elevated adrenaline and cortisol and explain how to complete the stress cycle to restore physiological homeostasis. Introduce strategies for developing stress resilience, including reframing and adaptation techniques.

Vocabulary

antifragile, atrophy, chronic stress, distress, eustress, fragility, hormesis, stress, stress resilience

Related Lessons

This is part of a series of related topics. Use the quick menu above to navigate within this section.

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