Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Stress

 

            Ancient Greeks and Asians acknowledged and accepted the correlation between body and mind. They also believed that individuals had control over their health, so they practiced good habits, which included exercise to stay healthy. Eventually, the understanding of the link between psychology and health diminished, and illnesses were attributed to demonic possessions and other mystical causes. Recently, we have come full circle with modern medicine's recognition of the integration of body and mind.
             Our health is affected when we experience stress. Stress is broadly defined as our response to threatening or demanding events or circumstances. Based on record sales of the anti-anxiety drug, Zantax, it seems that people are more stressed out these days. Some people might wonder, however, whether we do have more stressful events to deal with, or if we are unable to handle it as well as past generations.
             One factor of stress we need to comprehend is the biological factor. In a stressful situation, the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system responds by releasing adrenaline, which results in biological changes, such as increase of blood pressure. (In many fight or flight settings, this is advantageous to our survival.) On the other hand, the surge of adrenaline, and other changes from our autonomic nervous system response have been linked to health problems such as heart disease, ulcers and other stomach problems.
             Stress researcher, Hans Selye, believed that our bodies respond in three stages known as the general adaptation syndrome. The three stages are alarm, resistance and exhaustion. The amount and type of hormones released in each stage affect the body's immune system, leaving it extremely vulnerable at the stage of exhaustion, or the result of failure to cope with stress. The problem with Selye's view is that not everyone ends up in exhaustion from stress, because stress affects everyone differently, depending on their perception, personality and context of the stressor.


Essays Related to Stress