National Health Interview Survey
According to the National Health Interview Survey (2001), approximately 75% of the general population experience stress in every two weeks. However, the amount of stress varies in different individuals. It may be moderate or high during that period. Most of stress experienced is related to everyday experience. Moreover, stress is normally highly individualized. What one may view as a cause of stress may not be the case for another.
Stress is normally caused by an internal or external factor. Individual’s response to stress determines how one is likely to be affected. Psychologically, people perceive stress as a negative experience. However, biologically, stress can take various forms such as neutral, positive or even negative (Seligman, M. (1975). In this case, stress arises from the external factors that include all physical environments, as well as from internal factors that are responsible for handling stress such as emotions, health, nutrition as well as physical fitness.
Stress usually manifests itself in various ways. It may take the form of emotions, behavior as well as physical symptoms. Notably, the level of stress and symptoms varies greatly in different individuals (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). Some of the common symptoms include: muscle tension, headache, and lack of enough sleep, fatigue, overeating, and loss of energy or mood, depression as well as regular irritation. In most cases, individuals under stress usually engage in some unhealthy behaviors in order to relieve stress (Carlson & Heth, 2007). For instance, individuals start smoking as well as abusing other types of drugs (Seligman, 1975). Unfortunately, instead of lowering the levels of stress, these behaviors usually make these symptoms more severe.