Stress and it's Sources

Have you ever had an entire list of tasks that needed to be done, but you felt too exhausted to even start them? That is a prime example of stress, which is something a great deal of people from varied age groups face. Stress is the body’s physical and mental reaction to situations or events that we perceive to be challenging or threatening. As unpleasant and undesirable stress is, it is a necessary stimulation in human bodies that would lead to death if it were not present. Stress is caused by many factors, both social and personal, and can have immense negative effects on the human body if not handled properly.

Stress as a common belief is often viewed as unpleasant only, which is distress; however, stress has a not-so-common enjoyable side known as eustress. Distress is much more popular in the realm of psychology, though, due to the displeasing effects that it comes with. In order to understand the effects it has on the human body, one must first know the major sources of stress. Stress can be stemmed from an endless amount of experiences, but there are a few specific sources that researchers have pointed out as notable. These seven sources are as followed: cataclysmic events, conflict, frustration, hassles, life changes, chronic stressors, and job stressors.

Stress can be aroused in response to internal, external, or environmental stimuli; this trigger that causes these reactions is known as a stressor. A very important stressor that can be experienced as early as grade school is life change. In 1967, Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe proposed that any adjustment in lifestyle or personal behavior could cause some degree of stress on the human body. To further support their proposal, they created a Social Readjustment Rating Sc...

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...s immune system is repressed. The prolonged elevation of cortisol aids in causing depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug/alcohol abuse. Prolonged stress can cause premature aging, inability to retrieve memory, and even death.

Being a young adult in her first year of college and maintaining a job, I have experienced stress in many instances. One particular stress-related event that stands out in my mind is about my mother. Recently, my father was admitted into the hospital because of a diabetic attack. My mother was driving to the hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, an area she is very familiar with, yet her mind went blank and she forgot how to get to Route 17, which is the highway that leads to the hospital. My mother’s loss of memory during this stressful time was due to the spike in cortisol, which prevented her from retrieving her existing memories.