Stress is defined as a situation where the demands placed upon the individual are greater than their perceived resources. Stress can be understood in terms of the following three ways:

1.Stress as a stimulus: Environmental events such as war, earthquake, famine and accidents can cause stress even when the coping abilities of the individual are good.

2.Stress as a response: A stress prone person experiences high levels of stress even in situations considered normal life events by most individuals. Stress in this context can be viewed as a mental reaction that results from the judgements we make all the time about people, situations and things.

3.Stress as an interaction between the individual and the environment: In most situations it is the interaction between the individual and their environment that brings on stress e.g. relationship problems.

Stress is a very popular term and almost everyone understands when we use this term. However, when discussing mental illness, it often causes confusion, as it fails to convey the precise nature of the problem. Almost all psychological problems, be it anxiety, depression, psychosis etc., have elements of stress and the use of this term doesn’t help distinguish one from another.

To simplify the matter, one can say that stress is an overarching term and it manifests differently in different individuals depending upon their personalities and mental state. Stress can result in alcoholism, drug addiction or violent episodes in one person and depression, relationship problems, panic or phobia in another. General stress management strategies can help all of those individuals

Most of our daily actions and interactions produce stress. Very much like our clothes that pick up dust and grease during the course of the day. We put our clothes in a washing machine for cleaning and the cycle takes about an hour or two for cleaning them. What about our minds? What do we do to undo the stress ?

The common answer to this question is to have a drink or sit in front of television. Unfortunately there is very little scientific evidence that these two activities will undo stress.

Stress management should be seen as a preventative activity rather than a treatment of the problem when it has already resulted in illness. It should be practiced daily similar to cleaning our teeth every morning. We don’t just clean our teeth when they get dirty. In the same way it is better to prevent stress or manage it when it hasn’t reached breaking point.

Most people who experience stress don’t have a psychiatric illness, but it is a condition which requires a proper understanding and careful management as it could affect almost every aspect of ones life. The following could be used as a rough guide to assess your stress levels.

• Knowing how you feel first thing in the morning: you are connected to the inner most reaches of your mind during sleep and how you feel soon after waking is a good parameter of your inner mental life. Clients with high levels of stress report feeling unwell and tired first thing on most mornings and the feeling continues. They feel unrefreshed after a night’s sleep.

How you feel at work: Occasionally wishing you didn’t have to come to work and wanting to go home can be normal, but if this happens often it can signal stress. Feeling the need for frequent cups of coffee, tea or smoking to keep you going and being desperate for a holiday only a few months after the last can be a sign of stress.