Stress is defined as a mentally or emotionally distracting condition occurring because of difficult pressures.

Millions and perhaps even billions suffer everyday from stress and its effects. Stress affects a person's physical health; usually the symptoms are increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, irritability, and depression. This plague can affect all ages and both genders. The main reason why stress is so dangerous is because it can be fatal to a person's health. Not only can stress lead to many heart diseases, but also it could make a person panic stricken. !lthough stress may look uncon"uerable or inevitable, it is possible to control it. There are many "uick and easy steps for managing and limiting a person's stress. The key is patience and careful planning. !lthough it sounds obvious, many people do not recogni#e they have stress factors. Some common sings for people who have stress are fatigue or irritability. Sometimes family members even abuse each other domestically. $eople who reali#e they e%perience stress can point out the common causes that they have. !fter a person points out the stressors he or she can e%ploit them. &or e%ample, if you know if you are going to be spending money on useless things and that it could make your wife angry then you could refrain from doing this to avoid unnecessary stress. !fter a person has avoided his or her stressors they would be more rela%ed. 'owever, if people forget their stressors they can easily have reminders such as posted notes on the fridge. This step essential because if you can't recogni#e you have stress then you cannot control it. Secondly, e%ercising and hobbies can greatly reduce stress, by not only keeping you in shape but also lowering your blood pressure. &or e%ample, if you en(oy basketball, then get with some friends and go the park. )f you cannot play basketball, you can also watch a game. )f it makes it easier, than people should encourage their friends to e%ercise with them. This would give people more support they probably lack. )f people are not the athletic type then maybe they can enroll in something like a book club. That way they can ease their mind and forget about stressors. *%ercising is a way to preoccupy the mind and have fun at the same time. The most detrimental stress is when people focus on the negative aspects of their life. These people never reali#e how blessed they are to have what others die for. Most people who have a lot of stress think too negatively. The solution to this problem is simply thinking more positively. )nstead of thinking of why an event happens, be happy that it wasn't fatal and that you're still alive. &or e%ample, if you're married with financial troubles you could be happy that you have someone there for you whom you can depend on. The problem is people do not understand how fortunate they are until they lose what they have. )f a person feels depressed they are most likely very irritable. +hile positive thinking can lead to many positive conse"uences, negative thinking will only lead to negative conse"uences. )n conclusion, there are almost countless amount of benefits for managing stress. ,y managing or channeling a person's stress it will lead to a better life and a better outcome. -ust some of the physical benefits of controlling your stress include more strength, better sleep, and less fatigue. )t can also prevent high blood pressure, pain, or any other heart problems. The most emotional benefits are a batter "uality of well being and life, reduced

irritability and pressure. The most important benefit of stress management is being able to get your life back together. There are many "uick and easy steps for managing and limiting a person's stress. )f people reali#ed all these essential steps they would no longer be stressful today as they are. )t is important people don't carry around necessary stress like competitions and negative aspects of their lives. !fter a person has con"uered stress he or she will have a much better peace of mind.

Stress .ver the years, many researchers have made it their top priority to uncover how both men and women react to stressful situations, and believe it or not, women may handle stress better than men. Many researchers believe that /your response to stress may have to do with your gender than with the stressors you face0 1'endrickson, 23334. Some of the stressors may include, the recent death of a loved one, physical illness, (ob stress, and many other things. ,ut the most common stressor is financial worries especially with men. /)t is often the traditional role of breadwinner which is the source of stress for most men0. Not being able to provide for ones5 family can be a heavy burden to carry around. 6nfortunately, it is rare if at all, men will seek help. Some men will choose to remain "uiet, keeping all their troubles to themselves which can be very detrimental to their health. Meanwhile other men would face their problems with hostility, and might even become angry and violent towards their family. 7ong work hours also play a key role in stressful situations for men. Some men work eight to twelve hour days (ust to provide for their family. Sadly, /! decade of rising unemployment and economic slump has led increasing numbers of senior business e%ecutives to take their own lives rather than face the shame of failure0 .6nlike the men, /women have always been more up front in talking about the strains of everyday life. !round twice as many women as men see their doctors about an%iety and depression.0 !s appose to the fight or flight response most common with males, women will often respond to stressful situations by seeking comfort in their friends and nurturing their young. This nurturing and seeking comfort response has been termed, /tend and befriend.0 /Social intimacy is very important as a way of offsetting the negative effects of stress....ne of the things that women tend to do is pop on the phone and chat to people about it, whereas men tend to be more reserved when it comes to their feelings. Men like to talk about achievement and sport, which deprives them of an important outlet for managing stress0 . .ver the years, there have been a rise in the number of women who have (oined the workforce. Not only do women have to face the stresses of the workplace, but a ma(ority of working women also take on the brunt of childcare and housework which in turn produces pressure. $ressure is another factor in stress, which could bring out the worst 1or the best4 in people. .ne would argue that, /women feel more pressures because they have to be all things to all people0 . ,ut on the other hand one would argue that men feel more pressure because they are supposed to be able to provide for their family, and if they do not they are failures. )t is pressures like this that has led to an increase in stress related illnesses in both men and women. The most common stress related illness with men is high blood pressure. Men are more likely to turn to alcohol, avoid e%ercise, and smoke, all of which are factors for high blood pressure. /8isease fre"uency statistics tell us that women often have higher risk factors for contracting many common illnesses. This is true for autoimmune conditions such as

lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as depression, breast cancer, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. *ven heart disease, which used to be predominantly a male disease, now affects women almost as often as men. Stress and our reaction to stressors, combined with poor nutrition, may be the reason we see increased rates of common diseases in women0 .So who responds better to stressful situations, men or women9 +ho is more likely to cave under pressure9 Some say men, some say women, but the answer really depends on the individual. /!lthough stress is a natural part of life, it can be a ma(or behavioral risk factor if it is prolonged or severe...stress is a matter of how we perceive events and react to them. ,ecause of this, stress can often be managed or controlled0 . Stress management is the key to helping one deal with stressful situations. :ommunicate, organi#e, don5t procrastinate, and take time out for yourself. *veryone could use a little self indulgence.

Sometimes in life we feel pretty stressful. +e feel stressed around some big moments like first day of school, e%ams, prom, or applying to college. ;ou may ask what stress is and what are the signs of it9 Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand. )t can be caused by both good and bad e%periences. +hen people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals can be a good thing or a bad thing. Some of the early signs that you might be under too much stress are< headaches, sleeping badly, loss of appetite, being unusually bad tempered, feeling tired all the time, and feeling sick. &or e%ample e%ams can bring the best in some people and the worst in others. Some people are smart enough to pass the e%ams with good marks but when they get stressed they start to forget what they studied before and as a result they'll get bad marks. 'ere are some ways to cope with stress and rela%< = pray< there is nothing like getting closer to god in order to reduce stress. 2 laugh< laughter is really one of the best medicines. +hen things get stressful do the things that make you laugh. +atch a funny movie. >ead a funny book. 7augh with friends and family. ? take a deep breath< ,reathing is a great way to reduce your stress. Taking deep breaths and doing breathing e%ercises may seem silly, but it does a lot to rela% your body and clear up some of the things clouding your head which is really helpful in the e%ams. @ plan a head< Most teens don't think much about their date book. They tend to study when test time comes close, do their homework right before it is due, and (ust Ago with the flow.A 'owever, having a plan will do a lot to decrease your stress. Bive yourself the appropriate amount of time to complete tasks, and break those tasks down into manageable portions. C sleep< Sleep is another great tool in reducing stress. )t is essential to allowing our bodies to recover from daily stress. ;ou should be getting at least D to E hours of sleep per night. !nd lack of sleep makes you sick or cranky. D Manage *%pectations *%ternal pressures around e%ams can be huge. )t can be hard to deal with, especially with family and people you respect, but you need to remember that it's your life and your e%am, with you in control. >emember< There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. *%ams have a beginning and an end, and the stress that goes along with them should end with them. .nce the paper's in, there's nothing more you can do to 1legally4 influence the outcome which means you have done your best and now it's your time to rela% and en(oy the summer.

A+ithout stress, there would be no lifeA .ne can hardly pick up a newspaper or maga#ine or watch TF without seeing or hearing some reference to Stress .+hy all the sudden fuss and fascination9 !fter all, stress has been around since !dam and *ve were evicted from the Barden of *den. )s it because there is much more stress today9 )s it because the nature of contemporary stress is somehow different and more dangerous9 .r is it because scientific research has increasingly confirmed the crucial role stress can play in causing and aggravating different disorders and the diverse mechanisms of actions responsible for mediating its multitudinous effects9 Stress is an unavoidable conse"uence of life. 'owever, (ust as distress can cause disease, it seems plausible that there are good stresses that promote wellness. Stress is not always necessarily harmful. +inning a race or election can be (ust stressful as losing, or more so, but may trigger very different biological responses. )ncreased stress results in increased productivity up to a point. 'owever, this level differs for each of us. )t's very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull, raspy sound. Too much tension makes a shrill, annoying noise or snaps the string. 'owever, (ust the right degree can create a magnificent tone. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress that allows us to perform optimally and make melodious music as we go through life. The body may contain its own best pharmacy. Bood health is more than (ust the absence of illness. >ather, it is a very robust state of physical and emotional well being, that acknowledges the importance and inseparability of mindGbody relationships. There is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. +e are all individual creatures with uni"ue re"uirements. !s such, what is distressing to one may be a (oy to another. !nd even when we agree that a particular event is distressing, we are likely to differ in our physiological and psychological responses to it. )t has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. )f you are e%periencing stress symptoms, you have gone beyond your optimal stress level; you need to reduce the stress in your life andGor improve your ability to manage it.