Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem. Everyone reacts to stress differently. Too much emotional stress can cause physical illness, such as high blood pressure, ulcers or even heart disease. Physical stress from work or exercise is not likely to cause such ailments. Everyone reacts to stress differently, but there are some common effects that help us recognise it. In times of extreme stress, people may shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate (breathe faster and deeper than normal) or even vomit. The events that provoke stress are called stressors , and they cover a whole range of situations - everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester’s worth of your toughest subject. Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backaches, frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension.

The specific signs and symptoms of stress vary from person to person, but all have the potential to harm your health, emotional well-being, and relationships with others. The long term and short term effects of stress on the body manifest itself irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. Although you can use drugs to relieve stress temporarily, drugs do not remove the conditions that caused the stress in the first place.

Symptoms of Stress

Some sign and symptoms related to stress are as follows:

• Excessive fatigue.
• Tremulousness or restlessness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Shortness of breath.
• Muscle aches.
• Sense of being overwhelmed.
• Rapid breathing.
• Lack of confidence.
• Rapid or irregular heart rate.