Stress is a family of related experiences, pathways, responses and outcomes caused by a range of different events or circumstances. There are two types of stress resposne one is fight and flight response, other is general adaptation syndrome.

Causes

There are two types of instinctive stress response that are important to how we understand stress and stress management: the short-term “Fight-or-Flight” response and the long-term “General Adaptation Syndrome.

 

Stress & Health

The behavioral effects of an over-stressed lifestyle are easy to explain. When under pressure, some people are more likely to drink heavily or smoke, as a way of getting immediate chemical relief from stress.

The direct physiological effects of excessive stress are more complex. In some areas they are well understood, while in other areas, they are still subject to debate and further research.

The link between stress and heart disease is well-established.

Stress management

There are three major approaches that we can use to manage stress:

 

• Action-oriented: In which we seek to confront the problem causing the stress, changing the environment or the situation;
• Emotionally-oriented: In which we do not have the power to change the situation, but we can manage stress by changing our interpretation of the situation and the way we feel about it; and
• Acceptance-oriented: Where something has happened over which we have no power and no emotional control, and where our focus is on surviving the stress.

 

 The Action-oriented approach

• Cope with the Stress of Work Overload
• Survive the Stress of Problem Jobs
• Deal With Problem People
• Manage Environmental Stress
• Manage Performance Stress
• Avoid Burnout