Introduction:
Stress can be defined as the body's negative reaction to disturbance in its natural balance. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and how it changed our world has definitely become a stressor. Nurses were at high risk both of infection with the Sars-Cov-2 virus and high levels of stress during the pandemic. They were at the forefront of the fight for human life.

Aim:
The aim of the study was to analyze strategies of coping with stress among nurses working at infectious diseases wards at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material and methods:
The main methods used in the study were the estimation and the diagnostic survey methods. An auxiliary method in the work was literature analysis. To obtain material for the research, an online survey was conducted using the author’s questionnaire and the Mini-Cope stress coping questionnaire. 201 responses were obtained. Participation in the study was voluntary and the answers were anonymous.

Results and discussion:
The study showed that the level of stress before the pandemic was significantly lower than during the pandemic. Factors such as gender, age and seniority influenced the assessment of the level of stress before and during the pandemic. Women more often showed higher levels of stress during the pandemic. In the author's study the dominant style of coping with stress among the respondents was active coping. With the age of the respondents, the frequency of choosing an active stress coping strategy increased.

Conclusions:
1. The dominant style of coping with stress among the respondents was the style of active coping.