A stressor is any physical, social, or psychological event or condition that causes our bodies to have to adjust to a specific situation. Stressors may be tangible, such as an angry parent or a disgruntled roommate, or intangible, such as the mixed emotions associated with meeting your significant other's parents for the first time. Adjustment is our attempt to cope with a given situation. As we try to adjust to a stressor, strain may develop. Strain is the wear and tear our bodies and minds sustain during the process of adjusting to or resisting a stressor.
Stress and strain are associated with most of our daily activities. Generally, positive stress, or stress that presents the opportunity for personal growth and satisfaction, is called eustress. Getting married, starting school, beginning a career, developing new friendships, and learning a new physical skill all give rise to eustress. Distress, or negative stress, is caused by events, such as financial problems, injury or illness, the death of a loved one, trouble at work, academic difficulties, or the breakup of a relationship, that result in debilitative stress and strain.
In many cases, we cannot prevent the occurrence of distress: like eustress, it is a part of life. However, we can train ourselves to recognize the events that cause distress and to anticipate the reactions we have to them. We can learn to practice prestress coping skills and to develop poststress management techniques. Development of both skills depends on our understanding of the major components of stress.
—Donatelle, Health, p. 53
Step 2: Read the following passage from a health textbook. Then complete the activities that follow it. Your instructor will tell you whether to write your answers in your book or to submit your answers online for electronic grading. If you are working online, you can copy and paste your answers directly from the selection.