I. What Is Stress?
Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or bad. Sometimes, stress is helpful, providing people with the extra energy or alertness they need. Stress could give a runner the edge he or she needs to persevere in a marathon, for example. This good kind of stress is called eustress. Unfortunately, stress is often not helpful and can even be harmful when not managed effectively. Stress could make a salesperson buckle under the pressure while trying to make a sales pitch at an important business meeting, for example. Moreover, stress can increase the risk of developing health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and anxiety disorders. This bad kind of stress is called distress, the kind of stress that people usually are referring to when they use the word stress.
A convenient way to think about stress is in terms of stressors and stress responses. Stressors are events that threaten or challenge people. They are the sources of stress, such as having to make decisions, getting married, and natural disasters. Stress responses are psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions to stressors. Anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and muscle tension are all examples of stress responses.
The connection between stressors and stress responses, however, is not as straight forward as it may seem. Mediating processes, for instance, stand in between stressors and stress responses. Whether stressors lead to stress responses depends on mediating processes like how people appraise potential stressors and how well people are able to cope with the negative impact of stressors. Furthermore, a number of moderating factors, such as personality traits and health habits, influence the the links between stressors and stress responses. These mediating processes and moderating factors help determine whether people experience stress-related problems like burnout, mental disorders, and physical illness and are the focus of many stress management techniques that emphasize cognitive-behavioral approaches, relaxation, exercise, diet and nutrition, and medication.
II. Sources of Stress
Stressors, the sources of stress, include three types of events, referred to as daily hassles, major life events, and catastroph...
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...arrying them out—draw on a limited supply of volitional energy that is available inside people. Consequently, if people deplete this resource too much, it is no longer very easy to do what they need to do to handle stress, such
as trying to use coping strategies in response to stressors.
B. Mental Disorders
Mental disorders are the result of a varying combination of sources, one of which being stress. Examples of other sources are as follows:
Chemical imbalances
Inherited characteristics
Early learning experiences
Brain damage
Psychological traits
People sometimes have symptoms of mental disorders, but they usually do not meet the criteria or are not clinically significant, severe enough to necessitate treatment. Before a person can be diagnosed with a mental disorder, his or her problematic thoughts, feelings, and actions must meet the criteria for the mental disorder and must prevent adequate social, occupation, or other forms of functioning.
Stress may play a causal role in a wide variety of mental disorders. Some of the mental disorders in which stress appears to have a causal role are anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance-related disorders.
Stress, as defined as a reaction to a stimulus that breaks our physical and mental harmony, is ubiquitous. However, stress has two sides – the bad and the good, in which the latter is mostly overlooked as most people suffer from the affliction of the former.
Everybody has at least one thing in common. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed, heartbreak, you’re right, but that’s not the answer I’m looking for. The correct answer is stress. Everyone has stress in his or her life at one point or another. It’s one of many inevitable parts of life. Whether it’s busting out a research paper for Psychology at the last minute, expecting your first child to be born, to making sure you’re up in time to catch the Saturday morning cartoons, it’s clearly evident that everyone goes through stress. The real question is, how is stress handled in our society? A person is defined by how they handle the stressors in their lives and how they overcome stressful moments. This paper will explore the aspects of stress management; hoping to help others in their times of stress.
Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Stress as a Psychological Problem. Psychological stress and the coping process (p. 3). New York: McGraw-Hill.
(AC 1) Stress is defined as the state when people are experiencing difficulties in coping with the situations they are in due to the lacking of abilities or knowledge to handle them (Anxiety UK, ND). These situations are often referred as stressors. The way how individuals are reacting to these stressors is referred as stress response.
In today’s society, life is fraught of troubles, deadlines, frustrations and demands. In the lives of many people, stress is so prevalent that it has become a way of life. According to many doctors and researchers stress refers to the response people have when facing circumstances that force them to act, change, or adjust in some way to maintain their footing, or to keep things balanced. Today, there are many important contributors to stress (called stressors) and the effects they cause to the human body and mind. Physical, cognitive and behavioral problems are some of the effects that stressors can contribute to the human body and mind. Stress can lead to financial problems, work problems, and relationship difficulties.
Mental health can be described as not having any mental illness. World health organization describes the state of mental health as the condition in which an individual understands his or her own capacities, he or she can withstand the normal stresses of life, can work beneficially and productively, and can make a commitment to his or her group. Mental disorders can affect anyone regardless of their age, their background or ethnic group. Examples of mental disorders include anxiety, stress and mood disorder.
Stress can come from any event or thought that makes us feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. All of us experience stress and usually cope with it well. Stress is an omnipresent part of life and is a reaction to external stimuli that disturb our physical or mental equilibrium. It is a system in our body that helps us to deal with real danger and / or perform at our best. Any event or happening that induces stress is called stressor.
Throughout our lives, our bodies experience stress. Whether it is getting up in the morning after staying up late or learning of the death of a loved one, stress is a part of our everyday routine. Scientists have conducted many studies examining different stressors and the effects it has on the human body. Our body has subconsciously developed its own ways for dealing with the stressors in our lives. Stress is a daily occurrence, yet sometimes the body struggles to cope with it properly and becomes depressed due to the lack of motivation we experience.
What is Stress? Stress is a feeling that is created when you react to certain things. For example, tests and schoolwork can cause stress. It’s a way the body prepares for what’s to come by helping with focus and alertness. What provokes stress is something called stressors. Some examples of stressors are losing jobs, getting pregnant, and car wreckages .Stressors can be bad or good and can cause many situations. The way the body reacts to stressors is unique. First, the body activates the nervous system and hormones. Then the hypothalamus has the adrenal glands produce more hormones so it could be released into the bloodstream. The hormones that are being released cause the heart rate, blood pressure and many other things to increase. After the hormones are released, our blood vessels open even wider so more blood can flow. The blood goes to the larger muscle groups and causes the muscles to be alert. Also, as the blood flows to the muscle groups, other things start to occur. Your vision is improved because the pupils are dilated. The liver releases glucose so the body can increase its energy. And sweat starts to occur because this is a way to cool the body down. All of these things try to help people handle being under pressure and dealing with stress. Stress response is something that happens when you are under...
Stress has various effects on the body, both psychological and physiological. Stress can have positive effects on the body and can be beneficial, but frequent stress will eventually cause negative effects on the body.
There is something that everyone in this world tends to encounter; stress is that thing. For most people stress is an everyday thing. For others it can be just an occurrence from time to time. It can also affect our personal relationships without even us realizing that it was the main issue. Stress is “a person’s response to events that are threatening or challenging” (Feldman, 2010). Since there are many different type of stressors, they can be places in different categories. Stressors can be categorized as cataclysmic events, personal stressors, or even as background stressors (“daily hassles”). Though no matter what type of stress one has, there is always a way to cope to get through it and keep it from harming our relationships. Even if it is an everyday occurrence or a once in a while occurrence.
"Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to both good and bad experiences which can be beneficial to your health and safety." (8 Ways Stress Is More Dangerous Than You Think) Everyone 's body responds to stress by releasing hormones, also, you brain receives more oxygen. Stress starts to occur when we become worried about a task or responsibilities we face. Major stress is called chronic stress. It can cause symptoms that can affect your health in a larger way. Some people may say that they succeed more under stress, but sadly, that’s rarely the case. Research has shown that "stress makes a person more likely to make mistakes" (Stress Symptoms, Signs, & Causes). For most people, stress is extremely normal for them that they don 't see it as anything but ordinary. However, stress can motivate someone while under pressure and even get you through a tough or dangerous
Stress on individuals can bring numerous numbers of health problems, for example; heart disease. Researches have declared that having stress increase heart rate and blood flow, and causes release of cholesterol and triglycerides into the bloodstream. Another example is the Alzheimer’s disease, stress could potentially worsen Alzheimer’s disease causing its brain lesions to form more quickly. Individuals should be aware that being stressed could lead to major problems in the long run, but with the proper care and staying positive could help prevent further damages.
Stress is defined as “any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one’s well-being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 72). Stress is a natural event that exists literally in all areas of one’s life. It can be embedded in the environment, culture, or perception of an event or idea. Stress is a constant burden, and can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. However stress can also provide beneficial effects; it can satisfy one’s need for stimulation and challenge, promote personal growth, and can provide an individual with the tools to cope with, and be less affected by tomorrow’s stress (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 93).
Stressors are anything that causes stress. Any event, thought, or situation that cause stress is called a stressor (Feldman, 10). Modern life exposes people to many stressors. Some physical stressors may include natural disasters, illnesses, and noise. More emotional stressors can include certain life experiences, such as death of a loved one or...