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• Effort, demand upon physical or mental energy
  (Oxford Dictionary)
   
• Worry and nervous tension
  (Collins Plain English Dictionary)
   
• An imbalance between the demands placed on you (and those you place on yourself) on the one hand, and your ability to cope on the other
   
• Having to adjust or adapt to any change
  (adapted from EPPIC)
   

Stress may be appropriate in some situations, for example in the face of physical danger, before competing in a race or prior to an exam.

Stressful events do not necessarily have to be negative ones. Many positive changes, for example making new friends or getting a job, can also be stressful. (EPPIC)

Other definitions

• Vulnerability, vulnerable
• More about stress
• Vulnerability and stress