Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, and has become so pervasive, that it seems to permeate everything and everybody. It's hard to get through a day without hearing or reading something about stress. Some doctors refer to stress as some kind of new plague. However, numerous surveys confirm that the problem has progressively escalated since the 1980s. Why all of the commotion? After all, stress has been around since Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. Without stress, there would be no life. However, just as distress can cause disease, there are good stresses that offset this, and promote wellness. Increased stress results in increased productivity -- up to a point. However, this level differs for each of us. It's very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough strain produces a dull, raspy sound. Too much makes a shrill, annoying noise, or causes the string to snap. However, just the right degree can create magnificent tones. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress that promotes optimal performance, and enables us to make melodious music. Good health is more than just the absence of illness. Rather, it is a very robust state of physical and emotional well being that acknowledges the importance and inseparability of mind/body relationships. In the next program, I hope you will join me in the pursuit of learning how to harness stress, so that it can work for you, and make you more productive, rather than self-destructive.