Let’s face it! Stress is… well, stressful! Stress is also a part of life. So, life is stressful… some parts of life are more stressful than others. What is stress? “Stress refers to a physiological reaction to the body that overstimulates the adrenal glands, resulting in the overproduction of body stress steroid hormones such as cortisol and stress neurochemicals such as adrenaline. Among other things, these body stress biochemicals increase blood pressure and change blood flow, heart reactivity, urinary and bowel function, breathing rate, body temperature, perspiration, tremor, memory, and attention. Stress hormones are meant to be released only briefly in times of stress. However, modern life stresses are often constant. When stress steroids are present continuously in high concentrations, they produce permanent, unhealthy changes in the body and brain. Some studies have even shown that steroid hormones can kill brain cells when present at high levels for a prolonged period of time.” Where does stress originate? Stress can come from families, children, marriage, money, school, friends, change of residence, jobs, bosses, health issues… the list could go on and on. Stress affects different people in different ways and some people are more affected by stress than others. A particular demographic population of people that typically experience higher stress levels differently than others, would be those individuals who struggle with bipolar disorder. Because BD is a
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 people in different ways and what one person finds stressful can be normal to another. With each new situation a person will decide what
In our text stress is described as situations that trigger a physical and emotional reaction and also includes the reactions we have to the stress. The places and areas that stress come into our lives are endless. Most of us have a family, friends, and work we have to juggle on a shoestring schedule and sometimes the budget is on a shoestring too. Money can be a huge stressor especially if you do not have enough to pay the bills, buy your baby a new pair of shoes, or purchase that plane ticket to paradise. Problems at work can also give stress and anxiety to everyone. Stress creates problems with your health such as the nervous system, Endocrine system, Immune system, cardiovascular health, sleep, and can also affect relationships. I think
Stress is natural and not necessarily a negative issue. Stress is a signal of change, whenever there is some significant change in one's life; it results to some level of stress in the body system. According to Smith (2008), Stress is a natural biological response to threat or luck of control in ones life. When the human brain perceives a threat, it sends messages to the adrenal glands, which in turn releases hormones that cause the body to be alert. One of these hormones is cortisol. Cortisol is a home that helps the body by reestablishing energy supplies, enhancing memory as well as the immune system. This hormonal activity in the body halts digestion and raises blood sugar level,
Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand; it can be caused by both good and bad experiences.
Stress can get bad enough to where it starts to affect your body system. Things like depression, heart attacks, diseases, rashes and a low immune system can all occur to people dealing with stress bad enough. The number of common signs and symptoms is outrageous and is depressing to see that there are so many people dealing with this and how it’s such a common thing in this world. On stress.org, they talk about the different body systems and how they’re affected. The nervous, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastro and reproductive systems are all affected in some way and in many ways to say the least. If your stress ever gets so bad, I consider seeing a doctor or specialist seeing how dangerous this can get.
A collection of neurons and supportive tissue running from the base of the brain down the center of the back, protected by a column of bones (the spinal column)
The endocrine system is a group of glands distributed throughout the human body. This group of glands secretes substances called hormones. These hormones are dumping into the bloodstream (Shier, Butler & Lewis, 2009). The endocrine system does not have a single anatomic location. It is dispersed throughout the human body. The final purpose of this process is to control, regulate, and coordinate the functioning of the human body. Some body functions can be activated or inhibited by hormones, which are secreted in very small quantities. The hormone related diseases may be due to hyper secretion, or a hypo secretion. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands regulate growth, development and function of many tissues, and coordinate the
With that being said, stress affects everyone from all walks of life. Stress knows no boundaries so therefore it doesn’t discriminate when choosing its next victim! Everyone has their own way in which they choose to cope when under stress. Some go the unhealthy route where they are susceptible to drinking, smoking, and in some cases using and abusing illegal drugs. While others take the high road and cope with their stress more healthfully; for instance, going for a walk, meditating in a quiet room, writing in a journal, talking with someone, or it can even be something as simple as taking deep breaths. All
Although small doses of stress are good, too much stress is unhealthy and tends to overrule us at times, causing physical and mental harm.
Hans Selye started to use the term “stress” when he discovered that all of his patients looked sick and worn out. He concluded that all of them had something in common: they were all under physical stress. Selye did not stop when he provided convincing arguments that stress impacted health. Could it be psychological? Could it be stressful? John Mason, a physician, designed an experiment to test if psychological stress was equivalent physical stress. Either way hormone levels increased when put in a stressful situation. There was also a debate about whether people react the same way or react different. Eventually it came to be that there are common element that cause stress, however, people will react differently to the stressors. In my research,
Stress cannot have detrimental effects not only to our mental health, but also our overall physical wellbeing as well, as discussed in “Mastering the World of Psychology: Fifth Edition” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd, 2014). This textbook defines stress as “the physiological and psychological response to a condition that threatens or challenges an individual and requires some form of adaptation or adjustment” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd, 2014). And so, anything that causes individuals to change to keep mental or physical balance in life, is defined as a stressor.
Firstly, it is well known that long term stress has detrimental effects on the body, and the mind. One study published this year showed a possible link between cortisol, the stress hormone, and depression (Jin, et al. 2016). Another literature review published this year linked stress with increased risk of developing several mental and physical conditions, like certain cancers, arthritis, mood and
Some people have higher levels of stress because they might have a very stressful job. Police officers, fire fighters, soldiers in a war zone, health care providers, long distance truck drivers, and yes, even educators (think of a classroom full of students where you are responsible for making sure that they are learning the skills they need to succeed) have very stressful jobs.
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