Stress In The 20th Century

The 20th century is considered to have been a period of unbelievable change in human history. In the hustle and bustle of today, stress is an ever-present part of everyone 's life, even for young children. This causes serious negative effects at all levels of society. In this paper, we will explain stress, examine its causes and discuss ways to reduce it. Finally, an evaluation for the optimal solution will be discussed. As Srikumar Rao said: “Stress is the demon in our society, stalking the cities and the countryside, striking down young and old and growing in strength daily”. First, let’s begin with the definition of stress. The term "stress" that we use today was proposed by Hans Selye in 1936, an Austrian doctor who first studied stress.

Hans Selye said: “Without stress, there would be no life” (Olpin, Michael and Helson Margie 2010, 2007). Most people view stress as a threat to people’s comfort. However, stress is not always negative. There is also good stress, called Eustress because it motivates people to achieve more and to reach for perfection. If there is no or very little stress, we do not have the motivation to strive so that our working efficiency is at a very low level. With Eustress, there is a good balance between our resources and the demands in life so we are motivated, and more focused so we can maximize our efficiency. But when there are too many stressors, or when the stress has continued for too long, it depletes our energy and impairs our performance. In this case, we are in the stage called

Firstly, physical exercise is necessary to keep up the body, both physically and mentally, and this is the best medicine in battling stress, because it is believed that Stress is the result of poor health. Secondly, a good night sleep can conserve one’s health. Lack of sleep can lead to stress and even accidents. “Drowsiness is an urgent warning that should not be ignored” (Castleman, 1997). Furthermore, food, like oxygen and water, is very important for health. It is the source of energy and it supplies the nutrition needed to grow, and to build up resistance against sickness. A suitable diet can prevent tension caused by the habit of unhealthy eating. One of the effective way to reduce stress is to accept the things we cannot change and to try to make the best use of eustress. Often we do not choose the situation, which we must accept as inherent in life, and so we should be satisfied with all that we have. One of the most stressful factors is the constant thought that you cannot cope. We should be realistic and establish goals that we can achieve and also think about all the risk involved. In other words, we should readjust our standards, redefine success for perfection. It is necessary that and we must never give up even if there is a little sense of frustration. (Neil Shah,