Managing Internal Cognitive and External Environmental Stresses through Progressive Relaxation

Abstract

Stresses of life come from the external and from the internal environments. External environmental stresses have been variously specified and include problems that develop in social and inter-personal relations, the work place, and such specific circumstances as driving in traffic. Cognitive (mental) stresses may be generated by internal stimuli that are not directly triggered by external events. For instance, frightening thoughts may be evoked as patterns if covert responses occur when we lie quietly at rest or during sleep.