Stress refers to the strain from the conflict between our externalenvironment and us, leading to emotional and physical pressure. In our fastpaced world, it is impossible to live without stress, whether you are a studentor a working adult. There is both positive and negative stress, depending oneach individual’s unique perception of the tension between the two forces. Notall stress is bad. For example, positive stress, also known as eustress, canhelp an individual to function at optimal effectiveness and efficiency.

Hence, it is evident that some form of positive stress canadd more color and vibrancy to our lives. The presence of a deadline, forexample, can push us to make the most of our time and produce greater efficiency.It is important to keep this in mind, as stress management refers to usingstress to our advantage, and not on eradicating the presence of stress in ourlives.

On the other hand, negative stress can result in mental andphysical strain. The individual will experience symptoms such as tensions,headaches, irritability and in extreme cases, heart palpitations. Hence, whilstsome stress may be seen as a motivating force, it is important to manage stresslevels so that it does not have an adverse impact on your health andrelationships.

Part of managing your stress levels include learning abouthow stress can affect you emotionally and physically, as well as how toidentify if you are performing at your optimal stress level (OSL) or if you areexperiencing negative stress. This knowledge will help you to identify when youneed to take a break, or perhaps seek professional help. It is also your firststep towards developing techniques to managing your stress levels.

Modern day stresses can take the form of monetary needs, oremotional frictions. Competition at work and an increased workload can alsocause greater levels of stress. How do you identify if you are suffering fromexcessive stress? Psychological symptoms commonly experienced include insomnia,headaches and an inability to focus. Physical symptoms take the form of heartpalpitations, breathlessness, excessive sweating and stomachaches.

What causes stress? There are many different causes ofstress, and that which causes stress is also known as a stressor. Commonlifestyle stressors include performance, threat, and bereavement stressors, toname a few. Performance stressors are triggered when an individual is placed ina situation where he feels a need to excel. This could be during performance appraisals,lunch with the boss, or giving a speech. Threat stressors are usually when thecurrent situation poses a dangerous threat, such as an economic downturn, orfrom an accident. Lastly, bereavement stressors occur when there is a sense ofloss such as the death of a loved one, or a prized possession.

Thus, there are various stressors, and even more variedmethods and techniques of dealing with stress and turning it to our advantages.In order to do so, we must learn to tell when we have crossed the line frompositive to negative stress.