STRESS usually gets a bad press. Its negative attributes are normally the ones most talked about and it is blamed for a whole range of conditions from nervous exhaustion to heart attacks. In fact, stress also has its creative side and positive stress can galvanise an individual, allowing him or her to cope confidently with the world and to live life with enthusiasm and vitality.

For those who can handle the stresses in their lives most of the time, it is just another factor in the perpetual coping that is living. But for those whose ability to deal with day-to-day matters is at crisis point, the concept of stress is no longer something casual. It has achieved a dominance which clouds everything else and affects their ability to function.

Stress can have an impact on an individual's physical, intellectual and psychological wellbeing and it has the potential to be intensely destructive if left unchecked.

Stress does not respect occupational status and it is something which can affect an organisation from its most junior staff member right up to chief executive level.

For many people their working environment is the biggest single cause of stress in their lives and a new boss, downsizing, overly competitive colleagues or poor organisational structures can all create, major anxiety and stress at work.

In a work situation, the condition may be recognised by colleagues who notice an increased level of forgetfulness or irritability, a rise in sick days or the inability to make decisions among over-stressed fellow workers.

Physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches, constant colds, stomach problems, back and neck pain, are also common, while others will experience stress as an intense tiredness and lack of energy.

In this busy world stress signals are fed to us from all angles and our ability to cope will depend on a number of factors such as an individual's personality, his or her personal history and the support structures he or she has in the shape of friends and family.

Problems at home, upheavals at work and difficulties with relationships are stress-inducing, while noise, poor working conditions and driving in traffic are some of the physical stressors which can have an immediate impact on a person's wellbeing.

"Tests on people who commute to work show that the further they have to commute, the higher their blood pressure and susceptibility to stress-related illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes," says psychologist Dr Mary Flaherty of UCD.

"Women generally handle stress better than men, apparently because they are better at recognising it, whereas men may not be aware there is a problem until something gives. Women also tend to have better-developed networks of close friends and are willing to talk problems out, while men are far more likely to keep things to themselves and pretend that everything is perfect."

People cope with these stresses in different ways and what a brisk bout of exercise might achieve for one, a chat with a confidante will achieve for another. Either way, the most important thing is that the stress is recognised and that steps are taken to relieve it. The difficulties begin if it is constantly pushed to one side and allowed to build up to the detriment of one's health, relationships and job satisfaction.

Long-term strategies rather than the `quick fix' of another cup of coffee are the most effective way of dealing with stress. Regular exercise is widely recognised as a healthy way to `blow off steam', while learning a relaxation technique, taking up a hobby, talking with a friend or simply giving oneself permission to take `time out' to really relax are all possible ways of coping.

"I find there is an ever-growing demand for stress reduction training from individuals, organisations, community groups and companies," says Ance McMahon a stress reduction and relaxation training consultant. "But what is particularly worrying is that people are learning to cope with stress not to enhance their lives, but just to be able to cope.

"I take a three-pronged approach to stress reduction training. I begin by teaching people how to develop their stress resistance abilties or how to become `stress hardy'. Then I look at ways of helping them to interrupt the onset of stress before it gets out of hand. Finally, I deal with how best to release a lot of stress when it has built up.

"The problem with stress, if it is not dealt with, is that it eventually paralyses people and they find even small crises unmanageable," she says.