The Aging: The Role Of Stress In Older Adults

Kelly McGonigal discusses the importance of viewing stress as positive, as opposed to negative, by detailing three specific studies and findings about stress. In the first study, it was discovered that people with a significant amount of stress had a higher mortality rate; however, this was only statistically significant if the subject viewed stress as harmful. If the overly-stressed subject didn’t view stress as harmful, they were actually at the lowest risk of dying, even compared to those with a minimal amount. Therefore, it is important to change a person’s perspective of stress. In particular, McGonigal emphasizes that stress is important for a person’s body: it energizes and prepares them to meet whatever challenge they are facing. Furthermore, it helps the blood vessels remain relaxed, thereby allowing the heart to remain healthy.

In the first section of chapter 13 the book explains not only the precise definition of stress but also the ways one can become stressed.Society defines stress as anything which forces us to change. Though technically stress is defined as “a negative emotional state occurring in response to events that are perceived as taking or exceeding a person’s resources or ability to cope.” . However, stress used to be defined as “the physiological response to harmful or treating events.” This idea of a negative experience creating stress is not applicable today because now we know that stress does not just come from a negative

According to Janeway1, “stress is a physical or psychological stimulus which, when impinging upon an individual , produces strain or disequilibrium”.1 Stress is a biological, physiological and behavioural response to environmental demands. An appropriate amount of stress has protective and adaptive functions however a high amount of stress can cause pathological changes or even death.4 Exposure to stress can lead to painful emotions such as anxiety or depression, as well as physical illness.3 People under an overwhelming amount of stress may experience tachycardia, palpitations and rapid breathing.7

Stress is very well known for just what it means: STRESS. Its effect on human beings from a local and a global standpoint is far greater than any of us imagine. Stress can overtake one’s body physically, mentally, emotionally, as well as behavioral aspects. This is not something to take lightly. This is actually very serious. If you notice, it’s not just older people that die this day and time with heart attacks, suicide, and things of this nature. People of all ages. Older people, younger people, and even really young people. Children, yes, I said children. Don’t automatically think that stress only affects older people that have lived a longer

Stress affects health in a number of ways. It is defined by James (2011) as pressure or tension that comes in many shapes and forms and furthermore the body and mind in particular reacts psychologically and even emotionally.

Have you ever heard the saying, too much stress can cause a person to go gray? Well it turns out there is more fact to this than fiction. The past couple of months have been hard for you at your new job. The job requires you to work with unfamiliar people, in an unfamiliar place, and to top it all off you are incredibly far behind on your monthly report, which can cost you your job if not done correctly and on time. It is apparent to all your family and friends that this job is causing heightened anxiety in you, and they are worried. You aren’t as worried by the stress because you knew what you were getting into with this job, that is until you looked in the mirror. After just a few weeks on the job, you notice a couple gray hairs. Then

Stress is a big factor in everyday life. It influences how we approach life and events. Stress is why people run tight schedules and diet regularly. The power stress has is a negative effect over our brain and our body. Many people do not understand how to cope with stress. Therefore, people suffer from physical illness due to stress. Learning is not taking place when someone undergoes stress.

The effects of stress various during the aging process, young children and the elderly are more prone to be sensitive to stress during these age periods of development. Individuals that are exposing to stress earlier in life have an increase reactivity to stress and demonstrate cognitive deficits in adulthood (Lupien et al, 2009). Production of glucocorticoids increases when stress activates the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) (Lupien et al, 2009). Thus the receptors are than expressed throughout the brain; duties are to act as transcription factor in order to regulate gene expression. Whereas, glucocorticoids will than have a long term effect on the functioning of the brain. There have also been research in regards of prenatal stress that have affected the hippocampal MRs and GRs which resulted in an increase of glucocorticoid secretion in the brain (Lupien et al, 2009). There have been cases that have demonstrated when prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids can lead to an increase in adult corticotropin –releasing hormone which is located in the central nucleus of the amygdala (Lupien et al, 2009). The amygdala is an important

Stress is a very common everyday thing. People have stress so much that most of the time they don’t even know how much it’s affecting them. Stress can really affect your body, mind, and behavior. It is a normal response to situations that make you feel upset or threatened in a way. Stress is the body’s way of change. The change can either be good or bad.

Stress is something everyone goes through no matter what age, gender or race you are. Stress is the experience of a perceived threat to one’s mental, physical or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and adaptations. When people think of stress they think it’s a bad thing which isn’t true, some stress is just your body’s reaction to certain situations. At times it may seem like stress is taking over your body leaving you physically, emotionally and mentally hurt but what you can do is learn how to manage your stress to have a healthier and happy lifestyle. Stress management is learning to deal with your stress and take charge. There are three types of stresses which are eustress, distress and neustress.

Psychological stress is a result of many factors and should be dealt with very carefully. Stress can be defined as “An excess of demand made upon the adaptive capabilities of the mind and body”.(Joseph 1). Another way of putting it, is that there are some things that put certain demands on us. The effects of stress should not be limited to unpleasant emotional states. Many studies have concluded that the effects on our physical health from stress can be extremely detrimental. These adverse physical effects include heart disease and formations of cancer. There are also some societal issues that psychological stress can hamper.

The first thing needed to understand all aspects of stress is an apprehension of what stress actually is. The word “stress” has many definitions. It can be described as “An internal state which can be caused by physical demands on the body… or by environmental and social situations which are evaluated as potentially harmful, uncontrollable, or exceeding our resource of coping” (Mangal and Mangal 13), or when a person experiences “demands (that) exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize” (Lazarus and Folkman 6), or in simpler terms, a biological response to stimulus (“What is Stress” par. 1). For anyone who experiences

Stress is something that affects many people each and every day. Life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For some people stress is so common it is a way of life. Stress can be very harmful and or helpful. It could help motivate you to meet a deadline and perform a task under pressure. Stress can also be very harmful, such as memory problems, moodiness, aches and pains, and eating more or less.

Stress is also linked low fertility in one’s reproductive organs, and can cause problems during pregnancy or one’s menstrual cycle (www.everydayhealth.com). This happens when one is overwhelmed with the stress he or she is going through in their lives. No one person is the same, meaning stressors as well as stress levels differ for each individual. This is why it is hard for scientists to reach the core because it is a subjective sensation related with a variety of symptoms that differ for each of us. Because of this, stress is not always a synonym for distress. Situations like a steep roller coaster ride that cause fear and anxiety for some can prove highly pleasurable for others (www.stress.org). Each person also responds to stress differently. There are numerous physical as well as emotional responses to stress. Stress can cause an ocean of different emotions that are often times unpredictable. It can have wide ranging effects on people’s emotions, mood and behavior (www.stress.org). Stress has said to have been America’s number one leading health problem. It has been shown that stress levels have escalated in children, teenagers, college students and the elderly for reasons that of which have lead to: increased crime, violence, and other threats to personal safety; pernicious peer pressures that lead to substance abuse and other unhealthy life style habits; social isolation and loneliness; the erosion of family and religious

Psychological stress is pressure placed on a person to adapt, cope, or adjust to a situation (Rathus, 2016, p.284). The result of prolonged stress can affect a person’s mood, pleasure experience, and have harmful effects on physical health (Rathus, 2016, p.284). Society in the twenty first century places high demands on people. Technology makes it very difficult to separate work life, school life, and home life. Today, society places a high value on a busy lifestyle for individuals. For example, many places of business are open twenty-four hours a day. In addition to societal pressures, attending a university adds to the stressors a person may experience. Going to school not only includes classroom time but it also includes homework,