Stress can affect your health, your thinking and your relationships.  Your overall energy level, your ability to concentrate to solve problems and your patience with others are all affected by stress. Your body may also react over time with headaches, muscle tension, cardiovascular or stomach problems, or decreased resistance to colds and other illnesses.  

If you're feeling the effects of stress at home, on the job, almost anywhere, you're not alone. According to the federal government, 44 percent of adult Americans suffer some adverse effects from stress. A poll of family physicians reports 75 to 90 percent of all doctor's visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

Stress is expensive. We all pay a stress tax whether we know it or not. Right now, health-care costs account for 12 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, escalating yearly at a dizzying rate. In terms of lost hours due to absenteeism and reduced productivity, stress costs American businesses more than $300 billion annually, or $7,500 per worker, per year.

Even though stress is a major problem, it's still a necessary, even desirable component of a well-rounded life. Exciting or challenging events such as the birth of a child, completion of a major project at work, or moving to a new city generate as much or more stress than tragedy or disaster, but, somehow, it's different. Without stress, life would be dull. The trick is keeping it under control.

Stress can be mysterious and confusing, and there are many myths and misconceptions about what it is and what it isn't. Let's dispense with some of the most prevalent myths and misunderstandings.