STRESS: DEFINITION, CAUSES, AND WAYS TO BEAT STRESS.

Our body has a natural response to threats. If something dangerous is happening, our bodies will produce a reaction to let us know that we need to run away-this has been labeled the “stress response,” or the “flight or fight” reaction in the past, and today is also frequently referred to as “pressure.” In context of imminent danger, this acts as a protection mechanism and is not a bad thing.

A small amount of pressure is also not bad thing in everyday life. We all need that feeling of urgency that helps us to get out of bed each morning to go to work, or the slight feeling of alarm which helps us to cross the road quickly when we see a car coming. However, too much pressure can lead to stress, which serves no useful purpose whatsoever, and can cause physical and emotional harm. Far from helping us to function better and keeping us safe, stress can make us more efficient, by stopping us from sleeping, making us feel overly tense all the time, along with a host of other adverse effects.

A DEFINITION OF STRESS
There are various definitions of unhealthy stress, according to which authority you consult. Medical organizations, stress management consultants, and your boss at work would probably define stress in a slightly different way, depending on their perspective and experience. The UK Healthy and Safety Executive define stress in the following ways, “the adverse reaction people have to execute pressure or other types of demand placed on them.

If you can feel that you’re suffering from high and unacceptable levels of stress, and that this is having a serious impact on your general state of health, you may speak to a doctor. However, if you are in good health, this article can give you new ideas and resources for managing and preventing day-to-day stress, and help to improve your quality of life.

WHAT CAUSES STRESS?
Is stress all in the mind? No-it is very real. But different things trigger stress in different peoples and this can be:
•Time pressure
•Deadlines
•Volume of work
•Having to a certain demanding or unpleasant task.
But this varies from individual to individuals and it is the amount of pressure that counts too.

Let’s consider pressure in terms of units. A person may be able to cope with 20 units of pressure; they can function quite effectively with this level of pressure, but add more units and they reach their personal “tripping point,” where the pressure becomes too much and tips over into stress. Someone else may perfectly, comfortable with 80 units, but above and beyond that they become stressed. The point is that everyone can handle a different amount of pressure and has different stress triggers.

WAYS TO BEAT STRESS.
The following are proven practical things that you can do to beat stress:
•Exercise-In ancient times, people dealt with stress by running or fighting, and this exercise would burn off a lot of the excess energy created by the stress response. The same holds true today considering what happens at work and home that creates units of pressure. Think of exercise as a kind of valve that helps to release that pressure in a positive way that is good for your health.
•Make A List Of Long & Short Term Goals-List the different areas of your life. For instance, work and home, and then break them down into categories. Think about what you want to achieve in the immediate future, but also in the medium and long-term.
•Relaxation And Visualization-After listing your goals, use your imagination to create a powerful vision of what life will be like when you have reached your goals. Having well defined goals and a belief in your ability to achieve them will already start to help you beat stress.

Conclusively, in your everyday life, stress is one inevitable factor and the way and manner to beat stress and enjoy a stress-free life depends on us and the medium adopted to beat stress.