Dealing with Stress Introduction Remember: Stress is a normal part of life—it's only a problem when it causes long-term illness or disease. Normal stress levels can give us energy and motivation, directing our behavior in helpful ways. However, in most modern lifestyles, the pressures on people are immense and most people find themselves having to find ways to deal with stressful situations in their daily lives. shown in the diagram above, they suggest two ways to reduce stress: a biological approach or a psychological approach. A biological approach might involve drugs or biofeedback, for example. A psychological approach involves psychotherapy to change cognitive and emotional responses to situations. It has been found that women tend to use more emotional strategies, changing the way they think about a situation, to try to deal with stress, while men tend to focus more on changing the situation they see as a problem. Dealing with stress can be difficult. It takes time and effort to find new strategies, and it can be very difficult to overcome the effects of past experiences, but people now have a wide range of effective therapies available for treating stress. In addition to this, problems related to work overload and stress-related illnesses are now much better understood. Coping with Stress: Biological Approaches These methods of coping with stress focus on ways to minimize and control the body's alarm reactions through direct intervention in the body's chemistry. These methods are appropriate for people in states of acute stress or those who need rapid treatment...... half of the document ......g and number of employees who work in stressful jobs. The approaches outlined above aim to reduce stress by reducing the gap between the demands placed on a person and their perception of their own capabilities. By closing This gap increases the person's confidence and reduces perceived stress. The following diagram provides a brief summary of the principles of the cognitive-behavioral approach to dealing with stress. In this type of therapy, the therapist helps the person to be objective about sources of stress and develop new ways of coping with stressful situations. Psychological approaches have also been applied in "anger management" courses as anger has been found to increase vulnerability to heart disease. These courses challenge a person's perspective on themselves and others.