MANAGING STRESS: NEED OF THE DAY IN BALANCING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

Abstract

With the mammoth advancements and rapid changes in our society around and also us lifestyle, the word “stress” has become familiar in today’s vernacular, and most people seem to have an intuitive sense of its meaning. It is difficult to define “stress” precisely or quote its lexical term in every case as it is often used interchangeably with a variety of other conditions, such as anxiety, pressure, or strain. Generally, stress is commonly referred to a collection of physiological, emotional, behavioral and cognitive reactions, both owing to and resulting from the imbalance between desired and actual experience of varied situations. The capacity, capability and potential of every person to handle with different situational hazards and emotional dilemmas do not fall on the same plane. As we interact with the world around us, various factors like threats, challenges, demands and attempts to cope with any issues that arise forces us to undergo a constant state of exertion. The intensity and magnitude of “stress” are mostly determined and defined by people depending on their experience of such laborious efforts. As Richard S. Lazarus and Susan Folkman in Stress, Appraisal and Coping (1984) suggested that stress results when the demands of the environment are greater than the individual’s perceived coping resources, paves the way for the emergence of a remedial measure called “Stress Management”