Coping with StressIntroductionRemember: Stress is a normal part of life - it is only a problem when it causes long-term disruption or illness. Normal levels of stress can energize and motivate us, 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 cope with stressful situations in their daily lives. The diagram above suggests two ways to reduce stress: a biological approach or a psychological approach. A biological approach might involve medications or biofeedback, for example. A psychological approach involves psychotherapy to modify 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 cope with stress, while men tend to focus more on changing the situation than 'they see as a problem. Coping 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 a past experience - but a wide range of effective therapies for treating stress are now available to people. Added to this are the problems of work overload. and stress-related illnesses are now much better understood. Coping with Stress - Biological Approaches These stress management methods 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 experiencing acute stress or those who need rapid treatment...... middle of document ......ge number of employees in stressful jobs. The approaches described above aim to reduce stress by reducing the gap between the demands placed on a person and their perception of their abilities. By closing this gap, a person's confidence increases and the stress they feel is reduced. The diagram below gives a quick summary of the principles of the cognitive-behavioral approach to managing stress. In this type of therapy, the therapist helps the person to be objective about the sources. stress and develop new ways of dealing with stressful situations. Psychological approaches have also been applied in "anger management" courses, as anger has been shown to increase vulnerability to heart disease. These courses challenge a person's perception of themselves and others..