It was the usual routine in the home of the Falomos, Mr James Falomo (not true names) was going to his office in the morning, so he gave his wife the usual French kiss and his beautiful little daughter he calls princess. James was soon called by his boss that he had to represent him in an important meeting and also see to his normal duties at work and as usual he accepted.

After the meeting, he went back to work only to discover that the duties he delegated to the junior staff were not properly done, the account was not balanced, the report of the company’s performance was not done according to the instruction he gave, the contract they were to be awarded was lost as a result of a little error on their side. He was not pleased with the situation of things but he felt it was his absence that caused all the mistakes. So, he started sorting out issues one after the other till he was worn out.

At 9:30pm, he decided to go home, though he was not through with all the things he had to do at work. Mr Falomo was dozing while driving home but only kept awake by the numerous phone calls he received every minute. He managed to get home and not wanting to fail as a husband and father, he had to attend to the two parties after a meal he managed to take.

James woke up early the next morning, rushed to work in order to continue from where he stopped, bearing in mind that each day has its own problems. He continued with each day’s problem coupled with the lapses for the next few weeks and so his behaviour changed at home and even at work. He no longer gave the family the usual attention, he was always irritated at every little thing Princess did and his wife could not just say much because he was not ready to listen to anyone neither was he willing to talk to anyone except himself.

Soon, James started looking older and leaner while he kept complaining of headache and he never stopped speaking to himself. His wife, out of fear, discussed her husband’s case with a close family friend who could talk to him.  The friend persuaded him to go to the hospital, which he did. Mr. Falomo told the doctor all that he felt was wrong with him medically with his speech being interrupted countless times with phone calls he kept receiving and the ones he made to sort out so many issues even in the hospital. The doctor in turn asked him about his daily activities and he told him the whole truth. The doctor told him the home truth - James Falomo is stressed up!

What Is Stress?
Stress is a state of unpleasant emotional, mental and physiological tension or exhaustion experienced by most people in situations that they become aware of or regard as a source of problem, harm or threat to their entire well-being. In other instances, stress can also be regarded as events or situations that cause one to feel tension, pressure, or negative emotions such as anxiety and anger or the response to such situations. However, it could also be regarded as a process involving a person’s interpretation and response to a threatening event.

Stress is a common experience that occurs when we are very busy, have important deadlines to meet, or have too little time to finish all of our tasks, problems at work or in social relationships, major life events, such as the death of a loved one.

What Are The Effects Of Stress?
Stress can have both positive and negative effects. Fear of things that serve as potential problems motivates us to deal with them or avoid them. Moderate stress seems to improve motivation and performance on less complex tasks, hence, its positive effect. However, in personal relationships, stress often leads to less cooperation and more aggression. If not managed appropriately, stress can lead to serious problems. Exposure to stress for a long period can contribute to both physical illnesses, such as heart disease, and mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. The circumstances that cause stress are called stressors.

Stressors vary in severity and duration. Some situations could be a source of major stress while other situations may cause mild, short-term stress. However, individuals may respond differently to the same event—what is a stressor for one person may not be stressful for another, hence for an event or situation to be a stressor for a particular individual, the person must appraise the situation as threatening and lack the coping resources to deal with it effectively.

A person who is stressed typically has anxious thoughts and difficulty concentrating or remembering. Stress can also change outward behaviours. Teeth clenching, hand wringing, pacing, nail biting, and heavy breathing are common signs of stress. People also feel physically different when they are stressed.

Butterflies in the stomach, cold hands and feet, dry mouth, and increased heart rate are all physiological effects of stress associated with the emotion of anxiety.

Stress is a contributing factor in a wide variety of diseases such as high blood pressure, heart diseases and gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcers. Stress also appears to be a risk factor in cancer, chronic pain problems, and many other health disorders. Stress causes decreased immune response and it influences mental health as well as physical health.