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Does your partner think that you are having a problem with stress management? Are you constantly being asked about your mental health status? Is this worrying you? Do you know how to manage and overcome stress?

If comments are being made about you it is possible that you have elevated stress. But what is stress to one person is responsible behavior to another. People have quite different values about how well organized you should be.

There are many tests that purport to measure personality. The Myer-Briggs, the most commonly used test in industry, has the dimensions sensing, feeling, judging, introversion etc. The most relevant characterization of stress and anxiety came from an American cardiologist, Milton Friedman who determined there were two personality types - Type A (uptight, driven) and Type B (calm, relaxed). The issue for Friedman was whether the Type A person was likely to be one of his prime candidates for cardiac surgery. No one wants to be THAT stressed.

In the stress literature the expression stressor is used constantly. What are stressors? They are a stimulus which is designed to speed up your reaction time. Traditionally, this was seen as a fight or flee syndrome. Our system gets charged up with special chemicals.

People respond differently to those factors that cause them stress. Some people are unable to handle financial difficulties while other people seem to be able to cope quite well with money worries. For some people the biggest stress occurs within their relationships. For others it is personal or family illness that makes them feel tired, worried and exhausted.

Some people enjoy the positive benefits that stress produces. A small amount of tension for a short period of time can make us more productive and effective. The problem arises when the stress levels are high and they last for a long time. What are stress triggers? The stimulus that sets off your stress.

Consider yourself in the workplace. If you have new challenges and demands and especially if there is a tight timeline you might feel stimulated and excited. Your stress levels will be elevated but if you are in control you might enjoy this extra pressure. What this means is that some stress can produce positive outcomes.

When we have too much negative stress, we can act quite differently. We might become short tempered, angry, irritable and confrontational. Our skin might get blotchy. Our heart rate might go up to very high levels. These are all signs of being burnt out or stressed.

Unfortunately very few people have been lucky enough to be taught practical and effective stress management strategies. In order to be able to reduce the stress in our lives, we need information and strategies. Both must have an evidence base so that we are reading accurate information and using well proven and effective strategies for stress management and reduction.

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