Term Paper on "Stress What Does"

Term Paper 12 pages (5243 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Stress

What does Stress actually mean and connote? Stress is a state of tension and mental strain or suspense, and it is also a force that is responsible for producing a certain amount of strain on the physical body. Some sort of disturbance or anguish in the mind could cause it, and stress is generally accompanied by a whole lot of worries and anxieties and constant doubts and fears, and also, at times, suspicions and doubts. (Definition of Stress on the Web) Stress is found everywhere and is so widespread a phenomenon that it is almost impossible to read a newspaper or a magazine without seeing some sort of reference to the word 'Stress'. What is the reason for the obsession and fascination with the term, because it is a fact that stress has been in existence from the time when life on earth must have started?

Is it true that contemporary stress is somehow greater than the stress of the years gone by, or is because there is simply more stress today than there was before, or is it because scientists are now conducting more and more researches into the matter, and are discovering the vital role that stress plays in the modern world of today, and the fact that it has now been confirmed that stress can not only cause a number of disorders in a human being but can also aggravate certain existing conditions in man. It must be remembered that stress is an important part of life today, and as Hans Selye stated, "Without Stress, there would be no life." However, there does seem to be a redeeming factor, and that is the fact that just as there is bad stress that can actually cause certain disorders in a human being, there is 'good stress' too, and this type of stress can promote wellness and a feeling of well-being, and the trick that each and every individual must learn is how to find a good balance between the bad stress and the good stress of life so that he would essentially be able to perform and live life as it is meant to be lived. (Dedicated to Advancing Our Understanding of: The Role of Stress in Health and Illness: The Nature and Importance of Mind-Body Relationships Our Inherent)

Stress can actually be extremely overwhelming, and when an individual is suffering from stress, he would often forget the fact that help is just a phone call away, and that it is possible to get rid of stress. More often than not, stress can take a toll on the physical body, and this means that as an inevitable result, the body will become more susceptible to infections than ever before, and if, by unfortunate chance, the patient already has some sort of chronic condition, then the symptoms of that particular condition will become even more aggravated because of stress. (Who can help you manage stress?)

The physical impact of stress, however, is different from one individual to the next, and the various types of emotional and physical responses that a person has to stress of any kind are actually set in motion by a set of chemical releases and actions. For example, when the individual has been stuck in a traffic jam for more than an hour, and there is a cacophony of car horns and there is too much noise and pollution and heat everywhere, then the person would automatically react with a certain amount of stress at least. When the danger or the stress-causing incident is over, the human body that is well equipped with the appropriate chemicals that combat stress, will initiate a reverse course of action that in fact will serve to release a different range of chemicals into the body and will bring the body into the balance that it is used and accustomed to. This phenomenon is referred to as 'homeostasis', and this is the elusive state of balance and equilibrium that is maintained in the stimulating forces of the body and in the tranquilizing forces of the body. (Renew - Stress on the Brain)

However, the fact is that when the body is not able to cope well and as a result is not able to maintain this delicate balance between the stimulating forces and the depressing forces of the body, and then there will be stress, which can also be defined as a state of internal imbalance. The stimulating and the relaxing and tranquilizing forces within the body are created by the 'sympathetic nervous system', which produces the 'fight or flight response', and the 'parasympathetic nervous system' that produces the 'relaxation response', all with a number of endocrinal glands. The hormones that are produced by the endocrine glands will in fact travel through the entire blood stream and serve to either suppress or to speeden up and accelerate the various metabolic functions of the body. The problem with these hormone-producing glands is that they often do not stop at any particular point in time, and this means that the stress that may be caused by any sort of imbalance in the chemicals would result in a prolonged existence of stress within the body. Therefore, an individual would have to consciously learn the various relaxing techniques that are taught by Doctors today in order to better combat the stress. Sometimes, it is even possible for the human brain, or in other words, prolonged stress may affect the area of the brain that is used for memory and learning, the 'hippocampus'. (Renew - Stress on the Brain)

How are High-level College Students generally affected by Stress? What can be done to lessen the stress for these individuals? It is a fact that college life can at times become extremely traumatic and stressful. Most of the time, parents and friends and the faculty idealize the time that they had spent in college in their yesteryears, when they had no real worries and no real responsibilities. The student who enters College however, finds that college life is not as idyllic as his parents had made it sound. There are many factors that may cause stress in the student's life, and some of these are the stiff competition for grades, the ever-present fear of AIDS, the need to perform at their best, each and every time, the career choices that they would have to inevitably make for their futures, the stress that may exist in the relationships that they form in college, and so on. (Stress and College Students)

However, as stated earlier, stress is only harmful and dangerous if it is excessive, and it may actually be beneficial to the college student as it would serve an entirely different purpose of stimulating and exciting the student into performing better and therefore would actually help him in his college life. There are many challenges in the life of a student, and these challenges would inevitably create stress in some form or another. What must be remembered is that the college student generally thrives on this type of stress as it stimulates him to some extent, and the fact is that, if there were no stress, then there would be no challenge in life, and what is life without stress and excitement? Life may become too boring and unexciting for the student. However, excessive stress must be strictly avoided. Most common forms of stress can be easily managed, though some may be so very severe that it may need some form of counseling and, in some cases, medication. Some self-help techniques for effective stress management generally work well for the college student. The first step is for the student to recognize his own role in the reaction to any particular form of stress. (Stress and College Students)

The second step would be for him to take steps towards organizing his personal life in a better manner so that he would be able to achieve and maintain a better balance in life and also in all his various different activities as a college student. The next step would be to make a serious attempt to learn the various relaxation techniques that experts teach. If he learns these techniques and utilizes them in an appropriate manner, then he would be able to handle his stresses better. If the student finds that he has more problems than he can handle effectively all by himself, then he must feel free to discuss these problems or at least a part of them with a specific group of people, and they may be professionals or his peers or his teachers. Often, the mere discussion of a problem with another problem will provide a perspective to the problem that may not have occurred to him earlier, and if he follows up the problem with this particular perspective, then he may even be able to sort out the problem by himself without much outside interference. The main sources of stress that are faced by a college student are the environment, which may actually serve… READ MORE

How to Reference "Stress What Does" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Stress and Its Effects Thesis

Unresolved Stress/Corrections

Unmitigated and unresolved stress is one of the most significant social problems in the world today. Many people demonstrate significant aspects of stress-related illness and in many cases… read more

Thesis 13 pages (6020 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA Topic: Disease / Virus / Disorder / Injury

---

Special Needs Parental Stress on Married Couples Research Proposal

Special Needs

Parental Stress on Married Couples With Special Needs Children

Parenting is an inherently challenging process for a married couple, requiring a great deal of adaptation, compromise and cooperation.… read more

Research Proposal 7 pages (2291 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Motivation Stress and Communication Essay

Motivation, Stress, And Communication

Job Description

In the words of Armstrong (2012), "a job description defines what job holders are required to do in terms of activities, duties or tasks."… read more

Essay 6 pages (1834 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Leadership / Mentoring

---

Step Parenting and Stress Thesis

Stress and the breakup of a family -- through divorce, death, or separation -- have nearly always gone hand in hand. But when a "new" family is being created, with… read more

Thesis 8 pages (2867 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Humor Stress and Cognitive Appraisals Article Critique

Humor, Stress, Cognitive Appraisals

There have been a number of scientific studies that seem to buttress the argument that "laughter is the best medicine." Humor seems to activate the brain's… read more

Article Critique 5 pages (1416 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>