Stress Essay, Research Paper

Stress is defined as a response by your body to any demand made upon it. Because of this, stress consists of many elements: its causes, effects, and ways in which to cope with it. Therefore, stress has significant impact on people.

Stress is both good and bad. A particular amount of stress is an essential for surviving. Most people think of stressors, or things that cause stress, as negative, such as traffic, a difficult job, or divorce. Many people are aware of tense muscles, headaches or stomachaches during, before or after such situations. But stressors can also be positive experiences. Having a baby, winning a basketball game, or completing a satisfying project are all examples of changes that can activate your stress response.

Distress, which is stress caused by a negative stressor, generally occurs when a demand is viewed as a threat. Frustration, tension and fatigue include the effects of distress. An example of distress is having to give a presentation in front of many strangers.

Positive stressors, also called eustress, are situations and events that we think of as positive, but which still trigger the stress response. Happenings such as earning a good grade, graduating, working at a new job, making more money, getting married, and even going on vacation are examples of eustress. These good things are stressful because they involve a change in the way we act and/or think about things. Most events that include eustress are viewed as a challenge, other than a task that needs to be completed.

Our bodies respond to stress in many ways. Hormones, like adrenaline, surge, heartbeat and blood pressure increase and blood sugar rises. These effects, unchanged for thousands of years, helped prehistoric humans survive by helping them run away faster or fight harder, which is why we often call our body’s reaction to stress the “fight or flight” response.

Coping with stress is different with every person. To manage the stress that cannot be prevented, a few guidelines are suggested. The first suggestion is to know the causes of your stress. Knowing what’s causing a sense of pressure can help you avoid it in the future. It is also implied to keep things in perspective.

Asking yourself questions such as, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

helps to control the amount of stress you handle.

Relaxation is the opposite of stress. By relaxing, muscle tension is reduced, and headaches, insomnia, and high blood pressure that can result from constant stress are prevented. Different techniques, such as deep breathing, guided meditations, and tai chi, are ways of relaxation. These techniques typically rely on some form of focusing, in which you distract yourself from stressful thoughts by focusing your attention on a repeated word or phrase, a physical movement, or pleasant mental images.

Eating healthfully is also suggested when experiencing stress. Some of the hormones released during stress can also cause sodium and water retention and excess cholesterol production. A well-balanced diet that’s low in fat, moderate in sodium, and provides enough calories to maintain a healthy weight can help limit the damaging effects of stress.

Stress can be coped with in many was both positive and negative. The second way to cope with stress is unhealthy stress management. Overeating is one of these ways to deal with stress. If one chooses overeating as their outlet they will probably generate more stress for themselves because of low self-esteem or obesity. The most popular unhealthy stress management is drug use. Not only illegal, such as smoking and drinking, but also legal use, like tranquilizers. Choosing drug use can lead to drug abuse and other harsh consequences. So, there are both unhealthy, as well as healthy outlets to cope with stress.

An example of a stressful situation in my life is when I had to prepare for a test that I had the following period, on the same day. I forgot that the test date was moved to three days before, so it slipped my mind that I had to study. To add to the situation, if I got under a 70 on the test, it would hurt my average so much that I would be close to failing. I was lucky I had a free before the test, so I studied the best I could. However, I was planning to do my history homework during my free, which I had the period after the test. I was trying to get two things done at once, which caused more frustration.

I couldn’t seem to keep my mind on the book, because I was very nervous and was trying to work faster than I was able to. A friend helped me calm down, and said to take a few deep breaths and just study like I normally would. During the test I was really tense and tried to calm down by breathing deeply and trying to relax. It turned out that I did better than I expected.

Most people would rather go on with life without stress, but they literally would not go on with life without it. Not all stress is negative, and not all stress can be handled in negative ways, such as overeating, and taking it out on other people. In conclusion, learning how to manage your stress is taking action to make your life longer and more enjoyable.

Bibliography

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4. Tanner, Ogden. Stress. New York: Time-Life Books, 1984.