Coping Strategies Necessary in Modern Society Coping Strategies Necessary in Modern Society Have you ever heard someone say, "I don't know what I'm going to do?" What is coping and how is it achieved? To get started we must first understand stress. What is it; What effects does it have on the body and, finally, what strategies can we use to combat stress? StressAs defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “stress is a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes physical or mental tension and may be a causative factor in disease.” Another definition sees stress as an alteration of an existing balance as in the case of work stress. So, why are we as a society more stressed today than we were fifty years ago? Our lives move at a much faster pace with less quality downtime. A recent American Psychological Association survey, Dealing With Stress, (2007), states that “63% of respondents said financial problems are their primary source of stress, while 44% said national security is their stressor and another 31% said job security was their biggest source of stress.” The ability to provide for and protect our families is at the forefront of most of our adult minds. Many believe that, for the first time since World War II, the ability to financially support one's needs is not guaranteed. Adult children move back in with their parents, elderly parents move in with their grown children, and everyone is afraid of being able to provide food, shelter, and medical care for each other. What other “stressors” do humans deal with? We have more to deal with on the issue of health care than past generations. Thanks to a higher standard of healthcare, we now live longer. According to W...... half of the paper ......http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bloggers/carlin-floraFriedman, M & Rosenman, RH Type A Behavior and your Heart. New York: KnopfMayo Clinic Staff (2008),Merriam-Webster Dictionary, (www.Merriam-Webster.com) copyright © 2010 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, PCPFS Research Digest, (1996), Series 2, 6, 7. RachBeisel, MD, J (2009). Stress: The Body's Response, Retrieved from http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_biological_effects_of_acute_stress_000031_2.htmSarullo, C. (2009), Dealing with Stress, Mind/Body Fitness Magazine, Retrieved from http: http:// mindbodyfitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/dealing_with_stress#ixzz0pcwe2H9o.World Bank Group, (2010), World Development Indicators. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator.