When I wrote the first paper on the stress syndrome in 1936, I tried to demonstrate that stress is not a vague concept, somehow related to the decline in the influence of traditional codes of behavior, dissatisfaction with the world, or the rising cost of living, but rather that it is clearly a definable biological and medical phenomenon whose mechanisms can be objectively identified and with which we can cope much better once we know how to handle it.

Since then, a great deal of progress has been made in identifying the mechanisms of stress-induced bodily responses. And during recent years, considerable knowledge has been acquired about comprehending and controlling stress through scientific techniques. The results are of immense practical value for further improving the understanding of stress mechanisms by scientists, and for the treatment of certain stress-induced derangements by competent physicians.

Yet today, though everyone talks about stress, only a few people know exactly what it is...

 

 

For simplicity's sake we have attempted to state the essence of this concept in the following, less formal terms:

Stress is the nonspecific response [of the body] to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions. Stress as such, like temperature as such, is all-inclusive, embodying both the positive and the negative aspects of these concepts...

Perhaps two short lines can encapsulate what I have discovered from all my thought and research:

Fight for your highest attainable aim,
But do not put up resistance in vain.

So far as possible, I myself have followed this philosophy, and it has made my life a happy one. Frankly, in looking back, I realize that I have not always succeeded to perfection, but this has been due to my own shortcomings, not those of the philosophy. As I have often said. The builder of the best racing car is not necessarily its best driver.