Stress has been with us since the inception of man and the world. When confronted with a wild animal, the Fight or Flight syndrome would be evident. In modern day Britain we are not likely to be confronted with wild animals, but still have events in our lives which can cause the same effects. Stress has been defined as the condition that results when personal or environmental transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy between the demands of a situation and the resources of their biological, psychological and social emotional systems (Stress Management Training, Session 3 Cause and Symptoms of Stress). .
The Health and Safety Executive have defined stress as: "The reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed upon them. It arises when they worry they can no longer cope- (Needham and James, 2000). There are two types of stress - eustress and distress. Eustress is positive and distress is negative (Stress Management Training, Session 3 Cause and Symptoms of Stress). Eustress, for example, occurs when the pressures of life are used to accomplish time deadlines, goals and tasks. However, this same pressure could cause distress if time and resources are managed inefficiently, and goals are not accomplished. Then the distress element, multiplied over several events could, in the end, cause a complete failure leading to loss of confidence, and ultimately to a complete breakdown. The key for individuals is to recognise what creates eustress and distress in their lives and develop mechanisms to deal with each situation. It is also important to realise that stress and the causes of stress are specific to each individual. What creates stress for one person may not be so for another. Also, depending on timing and other events in an individual's life, what causes stress one day may not cause stress on another. The author has often taught the following principle; "No one makes you angry, you just allow yourself to become so.