What is strees ?

We often hear that people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, pressured or rushed either by their daily routine, school or office work, relationships or as a result of a specific incident. People react differently to different situations and the way they manage their responses has a lot to do with their mental well-being and happiness. Stress is a result of chemical hormones that our body produces when it feels threatened or presented with real or perceived complex or uncertain situations.

"Stress is not what happens to us. It is our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose."

Maureen Killoran

In simple terms, stress is a reaction or response to any kind of change. It is the physical and emotional response to situations, which are perceived as new, frightening, confusing, exciting or tiring. Stress does not necessarily get precipitated by external demands, but can also be generated from within by our hopes, fears, expectations and beliefs. It acts like a signal for the mind and body to prepare itself for any eventuality.

Once a situation has been assessed as demanding or frustrating, it will trigger off a reaction, which has a mental, emotional, physical and behavioral component. Or, in other words, whenever you are under stress, you may have some physical and mental symptoms. Your mood and behaviour is likely to be affected. However, the intensity of the stress-response may vary from one person to another.

You may have noticed that some people are usually more dissatisfied with their surroundings than others and complain about things that happen to them. This is the most obvious sign of being stressed, but it is not the only sign. Many people bottle up their problems and find it difficult to talk about unpleasant situations, and this makes it very important to identify your stress level before it takes a toll on your health.