Stress

Stress has many interpretations and carries a negative connotation for most people. Over the years, stress has been indentified in different ways. It was conceived of as pressure from the environment, then as strain within the person. Today, stress can be known as the interaction between the situation and the person. It is the psychological and physical state that results when the resources of the person are not sufficient to cope with the demands and the pressure of the situation. Stress can undermine the achievement of goals, both for the person and the organization. Stress may be positive or negative. Positive stress can create a healthy, thriving work environment, while negative stress or distress, can erode morale and performance. Some managers thrive under pressure because they use stress-induced energy in positive, healthy and productive ways. The consequences of healthy normal stress, called eustress, include a number of performance and health benefits to be balanced against the more commonly known costs of individual and organizational distress. Positive stress can bring performance and health benefits. The stress response provides momentary strength and physical force for brief periods of exertion. Psychological well-being contributes positively to job performance. An extreme preoccupation with work my result in acute individual distress, the most common types of distress are depression, burnout, and psychosomatic disorders. Psychosomatic disorders are physical disorders with a psychological origin. Depression and burnout can lead to emotional exhaustion. Burnout is a psychological response to job stress which is defined among three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced perceptions of personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion, which is an energy depletion condition, is at the heart of the burnout experience. Stress is a great asset in managing legitimate emergencies and achieving peak performances. Stress or the stress