STRESS
Stress is the condition that results when person-environment
transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy, whether real or
not, between the demands of a situation and the resources of the person's biological,
psychological or social systems. In medical terms, stress is the disruption
of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. Stressful stimuli
can be mental, physiological, anatomical or physical[1] reactions. The term
'stress' in this context was coined by Austro-Canadian endocrinologist Hans
Selye, who defined the General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS paradigm in 1936.
A
person living in a fashion consistent with personally-accepted expectations
may have no stress even if the conditions might be interpreted as adverse from
some outside perspective - rural people may live in comparative poverty, and
yet be unstressed if their resources are sufficient to meet their needs and
expectations. If there is chronic disparity between experience and expectations,
stress may be relieved by adjustment of expectations to meet the ongoing experiences
or conditions. Alarming experiences, either real or imagined, can trigger a
stress response.Responses to stress include adaptation, psychological coping
such as stress management, anxiety, and depression. Over the long term, distress
can lead to diminished health or illness; to avoid this, stress must be managed.(1)
source
(1) wikipedia