Q What is stress and what are the potential sources of stress?
Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Whereas some amount of stress is necessary for survival and optimal performance, an excess of it can hamper wellbeing as well as productivity. Since different people have different sensitivities and thresholds, the potential sources of stress can run into several hundreds. However, the common stressors are: Lack of basic necessities (food, clothing, shelter), imminent danger to life (disease, natural calamities, accidents), social (fame, relationships), work (money, promotions, success), physical appearance (weight, height, hair), lack of wanted material possessions (new car, bigger house), failed relationships (family, friends, marriage) etc; the list is endless.