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The effect of stress on the body
Causes and effects of stress
Causes and effects of stress
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Homework, schoolwork, tests, quizzes, state exams, and more make up the pressure cooker that is modern day high school. Stress places mental and physical strain on the body and can potentially harm health. Stress is the feeling created by the body when it reacts to certain events that put tension or strain upon one’s physical, mental, or emotional state. Acute stress is short term stress that can last anywhere from three days to four weeks. On the other hand, chronic stress is a more serious problem because it is long term stress and can impact health even more. When under constant stress, also known as hyperarousal, blood pressure rises, breathing and heart rates speed up, blood vessels constrict and muscles tense up (Tennant). The amount of academic stress high school students experience negatively affects their mental and physical wellbeing by taking a toll on their health.
There are two types of stress; good stress, known as eustress, and bad stress known as distress. A small amount of eustress is always good; eustress motivates students and helps them concentrate on more than one task. Stress is good in the form of eustress when the person feels in control and motivated. However, when there is too much stress, it can backfire and lead to worry, irritability, or even panic (“Stress on High School Students”). “Stress is negative when a person feels threatened and not in control of the situation. Those feelings instigate a powerful reaction – affecting both the brain and body in ways that can be destructive to physical and mental health” (Tennant). It can lead to a myriad of health issues and other problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, chronic stress, drug abuse, suicide, and more. Stress takes a toll on all a...
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... News From NPR. 2 December 2013. 16 March 2014. .
Robbins, Alexandra. The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. New York: Hyperion, 2006.
“Stress on High School Students: What causes stress?” eastauroraschools.org. 01 June 2011. 16 March 2014. .
Tennant, Victoria. “The Powerful Impact of Stress.” The Powerful Impact of Stress. September 2005. Johns Hopkins School of Education. 14 March 2014. .
Wilde, Marian. “Are we stressing out our kids?” Great Schools. 14 March 2014. .
This short informative article is about stress and how it can weigh you down and how is can be harmful to teenagers or adults daily lives. Also, it gives examples how to deal with stress and , how to manage it too. In this short article Stevens quotes ‘’Stress is related to fear. Fear is the emotion we feel when we are faced with something dangerous whether real or not information from any of our 5 senses , or even our imagination can trigger fear’’. This is saying that when someone is faced with a dangerous event real or not that fear and stress can come to play and that's not good. “Stress for Success’’ shows fear and stress so does ‘’An Uncomfortable
Minkewicz, Robyn, and Kathryn Minkewicz. "How Stress Can Effect Academics in Multiple Grade Levels." Telephone interview. 12 May 2014.
Stress comes from many areas of life especially as an adult student incorporating school at a time in life when family and work are paramount. “Adults just returning to school have substantially higher anxiety about school in general and writing in particular than younger students.”3 Stress, best described by its "synonyms: strain, pressure, (nervous) tension, worry, anxiety, trouble, difficultly"1 has a medical history "According to the American Psychological Association, the majority of office visits to the doctor involve stress-related complaints, and stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide."2 If managed, stress can be a way to inform me; learning how to recognize my level of stress capacity is important. The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory 5 http://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory/ is a list of stressful events that contribute to illness. My personal score on this life stress inventory is 236; I fall in the category of about a fifty percent chance of a major health breakdown in the next...
The degree of stress and the desire to make the changes will determine the level of change that will take place. If a student wants to change the amount of stress in their life, they have to be willing to work and manage their time properly, even if it means sacrificing hours from a job or a night out with friends to study for a test or write a paper. Many students feel an increase in stress and anxiety when writing a paper, meeting a deadline, or studying for an exam. This can cause twitching, trembling, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, irritability, fatigue, and even dry mouth (Anxiety, Stress, and Tension). When talking about stress, there are many things that can influence a student. The five main topics that influence a student’s well being are attitude, physical well being, physical activity, support systems, and relaxation (World Book on Health, 235). Attitude: The attitude of a student can influence whether a situation or emotion is stressful or not. A student with a negative attitude will ...
Jones, F, Bright, J, Clow, A (2001). Stress: myth, theory and research. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. p. 12.
Driscoll, Emily. “Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it.” Online posting. 31
Basically, we all know and understand that stress is bad for us. However, it is a natural state of the body, which is a good thing itself when present in small quantities....
Stress is “the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response.” Many people realize that stress has a great impact on psychological health; however, they do not realize that physical health can be compromised as well. When the body is put under stress, physiological changes take place, such as increased heart rate or blood pressure. Many individuals do not know the extent to which stress can impact their bodies because they cannot see the changes taking place. If stress is prolonged, physical symptoms may begin to arise. These symptoms are real; however, they may or may not be due to some sort of physical disorder. Stress-induced anxiety may begin to form within the individual because of a constant fear that they have a serious medical condition. The cycle will repeat itself with potentially worsening symptoms.
Everyone deals with stress at some point in his or her life. Most people deal with it daily. As defined in the book called Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness, stress is, “The mental, emotional, and physiological response of the body to any situation that is new, threatening, frightening, or exciting” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). This stress is caused by a stressor, which is also known as “a stress-causing event” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). Stressors can take all different forms, from moving to a new town, having a baby, or even writing a paper (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). One major stressor in life can be going to college. If not coped with properly, these stressors can leave a person with too much stress that could end up harming them mentally and physically, such as developing an illness (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). There are several ways to cope with stress. Some healthy ways to cope with stress would be practicing emotion-focused coping, building time-management techniques, and practicing meditation.
Driscoll, E. (2013) Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it, FOX Business, 73(12)
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).
Today, many students report more anxiety due to stress than child psychiatric patients did in the 1950’s. In a 2006 survey of 1,300 students at a public high school in Needham, Massachusetts found that 58% of the students surveyed reported between a great deal of stress and extreme stress due to homework (Bennett and Kalish). Many students in today’s time, have so many things to do that it is difficult for them to come home, only to have to finish five to six hours of homework. This, with the added effects of after school activities and technology, only adds to the stress that is put on students.
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.
"Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress; 75 to 90 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints; stress is linked to the six leading causes of death--heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide." (Miller, 1993, p.12) " Stress plays havoc with our health, our productivity, our pocketbooks, and our lives, but it is necessary, even desirable." (Oxford, 1998, p.29)
Stress comes in many shapes and forms, it comes with the job of being human. My sources of stress come from the major parts of my life; academic pressure, social settings, and time management. As a high school student, high school in general is very stressful, but not only am I high school student I am also a college student. Double the responsibility means double the stress.