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individual. This definition may be rather general, but 

it is quite correct. Psychologically speaking, stress as 

defined by noted researcher Richard Lazarus is a state 

of anxiety produced when events and responsibilities 

exceed one’s coping abilities. Physiologically speaking, 

stress is defined as the rate of wear and tear on the body. 

Selye added to his definition that stress is the nonspe-

cific response of the body to any demand placed upon 

it to adapt, whether that demand produces pleasure 

or pain. Selye observed that whether a situation was 

perceived as good (e.g., a job promotion) or bad (e.g., 

the loss of a job), the physiological response or arousal 

was very similar. The body, according to Selye, doesn’t 

know the difference between good and bad stress.

However, with new psychoneuroimmunological data 

available showing that there are indeed some physi-

ological differences between good and bad stress (e.g., 

the release of different neuropeptides), specialists in the 

field of holistic medicine have expanded Lazarus’s and 

Selye’s definitions as follows: Stress is the inability to 

cope with a perceived (real or imagined) threat to one’s 

mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, 

which results in a series of physiological responses and 

adaptations. The important word to emphasize here is 

perceived (the interpretation), for what might seem to 

be a threat to one person may not even merit a second 

thought to another individual. For example, not long 

ago a raffle was held, with the winning prize being an 

all-expenses-paid one-week trip for two to a beach resort 

in Bermuda. Kelly, who won the prize, was ecstatic 

and already had her bags packed. Her husband, John, 

was mortified because he hated to fly and he couldn’t 

swim. In his mind this would not be a fun time. In fact, 

he really wished they hadn’t won. Each perceived the 

same situation in two entirely different ways. More-

over, with the wisdom of hindsight, our perceptions 

often change. Many episodes that at the time seemed 

catastrophic later appear insignificant, as humorously 

stated by Mark Twain when he commented, “I’m an 

old man and I have known a great many troubles, but 

most of them never happened.” The holistic definition 

of stress points out that it is a very complex phenomenon 

affecting the whole person, not just the physical body, 

and that it involves a host of factors, some of which may 

not yet even be recognized by scholars and researchers. 

As more research is completed, it becomes increasingly 

evident that the responses to stress add up to more than 

just physical arousal; yet it is ultimately the body that 

remains the battlefield for the war games of the mind.

Relaxation, meanwhile, has been transformed from an 

American value into a luxury many people find they just 

don’t have enough time for. With the current economic 

situation, some interesting insights have been observed 

regarding work and leisure. The average workweek has 

expanded from 40 to 60 hours. The U.S. Department 

of Labor and Statistics reports that, with more service-

related jobs being created, more overtime is needed to 

meet the demands of the customers. Not only do more 

people spend more time at work, they spend more time 

driving to and from work (which is not considered 

work time). Moreover, leisure time at home is often 

related to work activities, resulting in less time for rest 

and relaxation. Downtime is also compromised. Since 

2001, Expedia has conducted an annual survey on vaca-

tions (called the Vacation Deprivation Study). The 2009 

results revealed that one out of every three Americans 

don’t use all of their vacation time. One in five respon-

dents cited work responsibilities/pressure as the primary 

reason for canceling a vacation. A new word entered the 

American lexicon in the summer of 2010; the staycation, 

where people simply stayed home for vacation due to 

financial and/or work constraints. Those who do head 

for the mountains or beaches for vacation often take 

their work (in the form of smartphones, iPads, and lap-

tops) with them—in essence, never really leaving their 

job. It’s no surprise that staying plugged in doesn’t give 

the mind a chance to unwind or the body a chance to 

relax. In comparison to other countries, Americans take 

less vacation time than other global citizens. (Germans, 

on average, take 4–6 weeks/year.) “The stress associ-

ated with the current economy makes the need for time 

away from work even more important than ever, and it’s 

unfortunate that one-third of Americans won’t use all 

of their vacation days this year,” said Tim MacDonald, 

general manager of Expedia.com. The “dividend” of 

high technology has proven to be an illusion that has 

resulted in a stressed lifestyle, which in turn creates a 

significant health deficit.

Definitions of Stress

In contemporary times, the word stress has many con-

notations and definitions based on various perspec-

tives of the human condition. In Eastern philosophies, 

stress is considered to be an absence of inner peace. In 

Western culture, stress can be described as a loss of 

emotional control. Noted healer Serge Kahili King 

has defined stress as any change experienced by the 

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