Stress and what it is

HEIDI E. DIMACALI

Stress in everybody’s life is normal especially nowadays— you can’t escape it. And knowing how to cope, or deal with stress can be very important. There are some more healthy and beneficial ways to deal with it than others. Like having a positive concept and having the ability to get along well with other people, being able to cope with harmful stress in a healthy way is a sign of healthy personality.

The fact that stress is one of the most common human experiences, it is surprisingly difficult to define. Scientists say that stress is a force or event that impairs normal stability, balance or functioning. It is a condition to which the body must respond.

Stress in our lives is like that wind. Although stress is always present, it usually goes unnoticed. Sometimes the stress that people experience makes them feel shaky or frightened, as if they were at risk of collapse; it is critically important to recognize this risk.

Even though people usually think of stress as being harmful, there are many times stress can be helpful. Sometimes the body changes caused by stress can help you do things better than you can usually do these things. Stress helps you to be quick and it helps you to be strong, so it can help you play a game or sport better than you usually play.

Stress can also be helpful in school. Stress can sharpen your senses. It can help you to concentrate. So stress can help you do better on a test. And it can give you extra courage to help you get up in front of your class to give a report. Sometimes stress can even help you do something that you have never done before.

When whatever is causing stress is gone, the body quickly changes back to normal. But if stress is great or if it last a long time, the body changes caused by stress remain even if whatever caused the stress is gone.

When such body changes last a long time, stress becomes harmful. It can harm a person’s health in many ways. Such body changes may cause high blood pressure. They may also cause a person to be unhappy or to worry. It may cause a person to get angry easily. Harmful stress may even harm the way a person gets along with other people.