Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense and also a number of normal reactions of the body (mental, emotional, and physiological) and designed for self-preservation. There are uncounted sources of stress known as stressors.
Selye (1973) defines stress as a function of elevated corticosteroid levels and uses the term to refer to the effects of any agent that threatens the homeostasis of the organism. Selye also introduced the term general adaptation syndrome, which refers to physiological changes that are non-specific in a sense that a diverse range of stimuli, called stressors, are able to trigger the general adaptation syndrome.
Emotional stress is often triggered by a dramatic event that puts a person's nervous system under severe strain. This could be an event such as losing a loved one, seeing someone die, or being put into a life-threatening situation. An event such as this can put severe strain on a person's mind and nerves and the incredible strain can cause changes in the way that the brain works. In fact, a severe emotional strain could even cause someone to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is important to take note that stress is a self-absorbed, subjective involvement and therefore what one person finds stressful another may not. Generally, research suggests that people feel more negative when stressed; symptom reporting increases, a negative emotional tone is reported more frequently, and general mood suffers. In addition, anxiety and depression are common forms of affective experience in stressful settings.
Emotional stress
