Stress and the effects it has on the human body essay

Stress and the effects it has on the human bodyIntroduction1. We’re all college students here, so undoubtedly we all know what stress is. 2. Whether it’s a paper that you’re going to be up all night writing, a speech you’re preparing for, or an exam that you have to cram for, it all mounds into stress. 3.

There are multiple symptoms for stress, a few include, headaches, muscle aches, feeling overwhelmed, dry mouth and light-headedness are just a few. 4. There are many things that can cause stress. Whether it is family problems, school issues, or even dysfunctional relationships. They all cause stress. 5.

Stress is something that can really take over you if you aren’t careful. 6. Today I am going to talk about the effects that stress has on the body, the pros and cons of stress and how to manage stress. (The first thing I am going to talk about is the effects that stress can have on the body.)1. Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress — a negative stress reaction. a.

Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try and relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. b. Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints. Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually. The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions. (I am now going to talk about the pros and cons of stress)2.

Stress can actually be used as a positive to people, but accumulated stress over time will produce negative effects on the body. a. Pros- There are actually pros to stress. When stress is newly introduced it can have positive effects on the body. – Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly.

– Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently. – Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs. – Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere. – Formation of more glucose from non-carbohydrate substances. b. Cons- the cons of stress are mainly physical problems that negatively effect your body. These include: – Chronic headache- Mood swings- Anxiety disorder- Substance abuse- Memory disturbances- Heart attack due increased blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol – Stroke due to similar reasons – Weight loss- Exacerbation of allergies including asthma – Irritable Bowel disease- Ischemic Bowel disease like Crohn’s disease – Decreased sexual drive- Sleeplessness(Finally, I am going to inform you guys on how to manage your stress.

) 3. There are multiple ways to manage your stress, but it all starts with identifying the source of it. Once you have identified the source of your stress you can begin to take steps to eliminating it. a. If you feel that stress is affecting your studies, a first option is to seek help through your educational counseling center.

b. Another great stress reliever is exercise. You can simply go on a run, lift weights, play a sport, or basically participate in any exercise based activities.

Look aroundSee if there really is something you can change or control in the situation Set realistic goals for yourselfReduce the number of events going on in your life and you may reduce the circuit overload Exercise in stress reduction through project management/prioritizing Remove yourself from the stressful situationGive yourself a break if only for a few moments dailyDon’t overwhelm yourselfby fretting about your entire workload. Handle each task as it comes, or selectively deal with matters in some priority Don’t sweat the small stuffTry to prioritize a few truly important things and let the rest slide Learn how to best relax yourselfMeditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing thoughts.

Selectively change the way you react, but not too much at one time. Focus on one troublesome thing and manage your reactions to it/him/her Change the way you see your situation; seek alternative viewpoints Stress is a reaction to events and problems, and you can lock yourself in to one way of viewing your situation. Seek an outside perspective of the situation, compare it with yours.

and perhaps lessen your reaction to these conditions. Avoid extreme reactions; Why hate when a little dislike will do? Why generate anxiety when you can be nervous? Why rage when anger will do the job? Why be depressed when you can just be sad? Do something for othersto help get your mind off your selfGet enough sleepLack of rest just aggravates stressWork off stresswith physical activity, whether it’s jogging, tennis, gardening Avoid self-medication or escapeAlcohol and drugs can mask stress. They don’t help deal with the problems Begin to manage the effects of stressThis is a long range strategy of adapting to your situation, and the effectsof stress in your life. Try to isolate and work with one “ effect” at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

for example, if you are not sleeping well, seek help on this one problem. Conclusion4. Stress is present in all of our lives and will continue to be.

5. I have told you the symptoms of stress and how you can identify it if you think you are affected by stress. 6. There are both pros and cons to stress. When first introduced stress has positive effects on the human body and can potentially enhance performance. While long term stress can lead to distress and multiple negative affects on you. 7.

I also supplied you all with common and easy ways to manage and eliminate your stress. 8. There is no doubt that we have all been stressed and will continue to be affected by it in the future.

There is no point in trying to prevent it, but you can fight it and beat it. It takes determination and self-control, but it is very possible. I hope you all have a better understanding of stress and how it affects us all.