Health research shows that prolonged stress has a detrimental effect on our health. Prolonged stress makes you more susceptible to illness, and once you are sick it will take longer to heal. Stress will make you age faster. Suzanne Segerstrom, PhD, and Gregory Miller, PhD reported findings from 300 empirical studies describing the relationship between psychological stress and the immune system. They found that acute and prolonged stressors weaken the immune system on both the cellular and hormonal level.

There are two components to stress: external and internal stress. External stress can be a complicated situation, conflict at work or with a loved one, sickness in the family, increased responsibilities at work, conflicting schedules. The external stressors cause internal stress, such as stressful thoughts, feelings of worry and anxiety, irritation or bursts of anger. We think faster, our thoughts become more demanding, and we react faster and faster until we experience chronic stress/burnout. As long as we are caught in patterns of 'reactivity' to stressful situations we will strain our bodies and our immune systems.

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