What Does Stress Do To You? Part 2

Part 2
They often say something to the effect that 'I thought that being stressed was normal' or would ask the question 'Is stress not normal doctor?' This is just a sad reflection of today's world. A world which provides us with stressful experiences so often that we have come to believe that they are normal.
But chronic stress is of course not your normal or natural state of being because if it was you would want to experience its effects all of the time. You would want to be in a state of sickness and misery as often as possible because this would be your natural state of being. And of course you would not pay good money for assistance to get into a better, happier and healthier state of being - which is what most sick people of course do.
Alright, so what does stress actually do to you?
Firstly, as I have said stress can cause people to die. This, I am sure you will also agree, is its most devastating effect. And in many cases these are people who have died prematurely. In other words they would most probably have gone on to live long and productive lives had it not been for the destructive stress which shortened their lifespans so tragically.
Secondly, on-going stress causes you to get old before your time. Chronological or calendar age is your age in time i.e. it is the number of years you have lived or the period of time that has passed from the day you were born to the present day. Real age on the other hand is the actual biological age of your body as measured by special tests which scientists have developed based on their research into the aging process.
Now you can of course be younger, older or at the same age as your chronological age. In other words although your calendar age may reflect the number of years that have passed since you were born, from a biological point of view the state of your body may be the same as that of a person of the same age as you or that of a younger or older person. And people who are biologically younger or older than their calendar age tend to look and feel the same - and often also behave the same - as a younger or older person. So just by eliminating your persistent stress you will have gone a long way in slowing down your aging process.