The word ‘stress’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘Stringere’, which means to draw tight. The origin of the concept of stress predates antiquity. In the beginning this word was used to express hardships, strains and adversities. Later in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was used to denote force, pressure, strain or strong effort with reference to an object or person. In pure sciences like physics and engineering it means an external force or pressure exerted to distort and being resisted by the person or object on which it is exerted. Physiological science defines stress as a stimulus resulting in a detectable strain that cannot be accommodated by the organism and which ultimately results in impaired health or behaviour. Whenever there is a perception of imbalance between the environmental demand and response capability of a person, stress originates. Causes of stress vary from physical conditions or domestic circumstances to non-smooth relationships or complicated job requirements due to competitive business environment. According to the U.S. Public Health Services by the year 2010 the World’s top killer would be stress. Ever since we take birth till we die, our life consists of innumerable stress. It will not be wrong to say that life and stress are interwoven with each other. In our journey from life to death we keep on trying to overcome stress and in this process we keep on coping with the stress, adding on the stress and succumbing to stress. Different life roles create different life situations and accordingly causes as well as ways to tackle stress keep on changing. |
