Some Facts on Stress
So what exactly is stress? Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel unhappy or threatened. Some things that cause stress are changes in our lives that can either affect us positively or negatively. Not all stress is bad. Stress can save your life in some occasions making the nerve chemicals and hormones release during stressful times quickening your pulse and giving you an energy boost. The type of stress that is harmful to your body is chronic stress. Chronic stress causes your immunity to be lowered and digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems to stop working. There are many ways that you can cope with stress. Seek help from a qualified mental health care provider if you are overwhelmed, feel you cannot cope, have suicidal thoughts, or are using drugs or alcohol to cope. Get proper health care for existing or new health problems. Stay in touch with people who can provide emotional and other support. Ask for help from friends, family, and community or religious organizations to reduce stress due to work burdens or family issues, such as caring for a loved one. Recognize signs of your body's response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy. Set priorities-decide what must get done and what can wait, and learn to say no to new tasks if they are putting you into overload. Note what you have accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do. Avoid dwelling on problems. If you can't do this on your own, seek help from a qualified mental health professional who can guide you. Exercise regularly-just 30 minutes per day of gentle walking can help boost mood and reduce stress. Schedule regular times for healthy and relaxing activities. Explore stress coping programs, which may incorporate meditation, yoga, tai chi, or other gentle exercises.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm?LS-2659
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm?LS-2659
The definition of stress from the National Institute of Mental Health is interesting and I disagree with it. I don't think stress is characterized by unhappiness and feeling threatened. Stress is characterized by nervousness due to a fear of the future. This can be applied to any situation described as "stressful." Think of a upcoming tests, such as an AP Exam; your nervousness will be rooted in the fact that you fear getting a 4 instead of a 5 or a 3 instead of a 4 on the test in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tal, but I think that once stress becomes long-term and major, unhappiness is certainly one of the symptoms. Stress itself does not have to be unsettling; it's a sign of one's humanity. However, when one begins to stress about the stress itself, they run into trouble.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the last thing that Josh said. A lot of chronic stress will come from worrying about how you feel. Although stress will come from worrying about an outside factor at first, it can be made worse when you worry about what you can do to reduce the stress, and feel pressured to lessen stress. I think that the best way to stop the stress build-up is to just calm down and focus on something else that doesn't stress you out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Nathan and Josh for their comments on stress. Stress in large amounts is toxic to one's health and it can be life threatening if it stays inside a person for an extremely long time. At the very least, AP testing is completely done so a lot of stress should be off the books!
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