HANDLING STRESS IN TODAY’S WORLD

Abstract

Stress is a non- specifically induced psychological state of an individual that develops because the individual is faced with situations that “tax or exceed available resources (internal or external), as appraised by the person involved”. The person is constantly interacting with the environment, objective and psychological, in which there are stressors. The nature of the response depends upon individual differences. Some are more sensitive to the presence of stressors, some use more effective coping mechanism. How people assess stress is called Primary cognitive appraisal which determines the intensity and quality of the individual’s emotional response. When primary cognitive appraisal is positive, the person will have relations such as pleasure, joy and relaxation. When the environment is appraised as stressful, the person’s response will be anxiety and fear. There are several ways to manage stress. It may be possible to change the objective environment to remove a stressor or to alter the psychological environment that the person experiences.