Definitions Of Stress

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2.1 Defining Stress:
Obtaining a universally accepted definition for stress is difficult to do as stress can mean different things to different people. According to the (National Institute of Mental Health, 2014) stress can be defined as “the brains response to demand and many things can trigger this response such as change. These changes can be minor or major in nature”. Similarly in her book (Donatelle, 2013) states that stress is “the mental and physical response and adaptation by our bodies to the real or perceived changes and challenges in our lives”.

Stress can be either positive or negative. Positive stress is referred to as Eustress. Eustress is a pleasurable type of stress which occurs during times such as getting married or doing well at …show more content…

Stressors are events that occur that cause us to react or respond. Stressors can occur on a daily basis such as having assignments due or can be life changing such as a death of a family member. The Life Events Scale lists the top ten stressors: death of spouse, divorce, marital separation, jail term, death of close family member, personal injury or illness, marriage, loss of job through firing, marital reconciliation and retirement. Even positive events are stressors. (The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Science and Technology, 1993)
Stress can come from four basic sources according to (Klinic Community Health Centre, 2010) .They are: the environment, social stressors, psychological and thoughts. Environmental stressors include weather, noise, crowding, pollution, traffic, unsafe and substandard housing, and crime. Social stressors include deadlines, financial problems, presentations, disagreements. Physiological stressors can include menopause, illness, aging, giving birth, accidents, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and sleep disturbances. Thoughts that cause stress are when events in life are stressful but the way a person interprets these events determine if they are a

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