You come home from work feeling as though you have been run through the spin cycle of your washing machine. You can't wait to take off your shoes and pour yourself a stiff drink. Stress is an integral part of our urban lifestyle. It is a normal part of life. However, prolonged and unwanted stress can have undesirable effects on mental and physical health.
Stress is the body's adaptive response to abnormal circumstances.
A person in a physically or mentally demanding or dangerous situation is said to be under stress. Internal medical and mental disorders can also produce stress responses. Chronic repetition of certain emotions such as anger or despair, changes in work or home situations, or reactions to surgery are just a few of the other ways in which stress can occur. More than one stress-causing factor can be present at a time. Physiological effects linked with stress include ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease.