Stress Management: Causes, Symptoms, and Coping Mechanisms

Running head: STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress can be defined as the psychological state wherein a person feels a considerable
amount of strain as well as pressure (McEwen 2012). Many experts are of the viewpoint that
the state of stress entails with itself a considerable amount of mental pain (Quick et al. 2013).
Psychologists have identified two kinds of mental stress, namely, positive stress and negative
stress (Quick et al. 2013). Positive stress is generally considered to be beneficial for the
individual concerned as it helps the individual to perform as well as handle the situation in a
much better manner (McEwen 2012). In certain cases it is also seen that positive stress
enhances the motivation level of the concerned individual and thereby propels him or her to
perform in a much better manner (McEwen 2012). Negative stress, on the other hand, is
detrimental for the person who is facing it and often has an adverse effect on the mental as
well as the physical well being of the concerned individual. In severe cases it is seen that
negative stress affects the emotional well being of the concerned individual in a significant
manner and often leads to depression and in some cases even propels the concerned
individual to become suicidal (Quick et al. 2013). In the case study under discussion here,
David is suffering from negative stress which is taking a toll on the emotional as well as the
physical well being of his. Thus, it is seen that he is not only unable to perform his job role as
per the demands of his boss and he head chief but at the same time the negative stress which
is suffering from is taking a toll on his personal relationship with his girlfriend and his baby
boy. The most pertinent effect of the negative stress from which he is suffering manifests
itself in the headaches which he suffers from on a regular basis, his problem of sleeplessness
and also his inability to fulfill the expectations of his family.
Stressors are the biological or the physical factors which cause or trigger the feeling
of stress in an individual (Cummings, Greene and Karraker 2014). Many psychologists are of
the viewpoint that the biological and the chemical factors are not the sole propellers of stress
but the physical environment in which a person resides or works also contributes in a

2STRESS MANAGEMENT
significant manner towards the level of stress that the person feels (Cummings, Greene and
Karraker 2014). Thus, various kinds of stressors have been identified by the psychologists
like environmental stressors, workplace stressors, daily life stressors, life changes, social
stressors, chemical stressors and others (Szabo, Tache and Somogyi 2012). It is generally
seen that apart from the environmental stressors and other external ones the majority of these
chemical as well as biological ones are present inside the body of the concerned individual
(Szabo, Tache and Somogyi 2012). These stressors have been identified as the root cause of
the stress which is being experienced by the various individuals and they are responsible for
causing the chain reaction inside the body of the concerned individual which inevitably
causes the person concerned to experience the condition of stress (Szabo, Tache and Somogyi
2012). The primary stressor in the case study under discussion here is the external
environment as well as the workplace stressors which David faces that triggers the chemical
reactions in his body which inevitably leads to the condition of stress.
David has a very hectic professional as well as personal life and the baby boy he and
his girlfriend just had has contributed in a significant manner to the stress that he feels.
Furthermore, he had just been promoted to the level of the assistant chief and at the same
time his relation with the head chief and the manager of the place are not very cordial.
Moreover, he is unable to meet the demands of his profession and the sole reason for which
he is still continuing the job is because of the monetary prospects. In addition to these, his
girlfriend is suffering from post natal depression and after coming from the hectic job he
needs to take care of the baby. These factors have contributed in a significant manner towards
the high level of stress which David is facing at the current moment. Some of the problems
which David is facing at the current moment are constant headache which he feels throughout
the day, sleeplessness at night, his inability to perform his job roles in the ideal manner which
he would have been able to do considering his past work experience as the porter of the