M4D1: What’s Stress Got to Do with It
Name
Institution
Date
Stress and Health
Body Response to Stress
When a person is under stress, one exhibits physical, emotional and physiological responses. In terms of physical response, the body results to a reaction relating to either ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ to cope with a stressful situation (Jacobs, 2001). The ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ reactions makes the body to have the urge to such as go to the toilet, have headaches, stomach upsets, chest pain and problems sleeping. Emotional responses to stress include such as a person having anger issues, anxiety, feelings of depression, inability to focus and worry. Physiological responses of the body when under stress include increase in heart rate, dilation of the lungs leading to increase in breathing. There is also decrease in activity of the digestive system that tend to make a person not feel hungry and the liver releases glucose to boost energy in the body since it has hormonal imbalance.
Question 1: Were you surprised to read about the effects that stress can have on health?
I was not surprised to read about the relationship between stress and health. I had the knowledge that stress can affect the way a person conducts his or her life. However, the readings contributed to the knowledgeI had by giving an in-depth understanding. For instance, I acquired the knowledge that there is a connection between stress and the immune system such as those of the digestive and reproductive systems. Initially, I used to link some health conditions such as stomach aches to consuming contaminated food. I could hence take drugs related to relieving the pain I was experiencing without the realization that it could be caused by stress.
Question 2: Do you think that people in general are not aware of the greater effect stress has on their health?
People are often aware of the effect that stress has on their health. They understand that stressful conditions in their lives may be the reason for their health concerns. According to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2014, larger population recognizes the relationship between stress and health. People from different racial, political and socio-economic backgrounds have the knowledge that their health and well-being can be affected by stress. However, some people are unwilling to stop some actions especially those that can lead to stressful conditions such as poor time management. This observation follows from the fact that some factors such as long working hours put people under pressure and hence they become complacent of the effects of stress.
It can also be inferred that the public is aware of the effects of stress on health based on the sensitization provided by the government and private institutions. I suppose that the extensive awareness created among people through various governments and non-government organizations regarding stress and health translates to a majority of the public being aware of the interconnection between them.
Question 3: Do social support networks help individuals to cope with stress or not? Does it depend on the person or circumstance?
Social support can be described as the assistance that is accessible to a person through the social ties that he or she has with other individuals, groups or members of a larger community. A social support network is of paramount importance in maintaining mental and physical health in a person. According to Ozbay et al. (2007), a positive social support network that is of high quality is effective in enhancing resilience to stress in a person. It can also protect a person from stress-related health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that affects many people who are exposed to chronic stressful conditions.
As observed earlier, social support networks are made up of members of the societies that are close to an individual. These may include peers, friends and members of the family with whom a person forms social ties with. The social network formed with the people enable a person to get relief from stress through assistance and encouragement. The assurance that a person is loved and supported by those around him or her suppresses the effects brought about by stress.
Despite the general observation that social support networks are crucial in coping with stress, it is imperative to observe that the outcome depends on a person or circumstance. For a person to benefit from social support networks, he/she must initially have strong social ties. Baqutayan (2011) explains that social support networks cannot effectively assist a person who essentially had poor and/or few social contacts. The personality of an individual is also a determinant of the effectiveness of social support networks in coping with stress. For instance, people with a temper often have poor social support networks. Consequently, they are not likely to benefit from social network support because they are most likely to respond aggressively.
The circumstance such as the cause of stress is also influential in the success of social support networks to cope with stress. Social support network cannot be effective in coping with stress caused by by such as a traumatic experience, for instance, brutal murder of a close family member.
Question 4: Choose two stress management techniques that you think might be most effective. Summarize them and explain why you think that they might be helpful
Effective time management is one of the effective techniques of coping with stress. Poor time management can cause stress in a person (Yuceler, Kaya & Ileri, 2016). A person, therefore, must come up with an effective means of managing his or her time to avoid and come out stressful conditions. During stressful moments, one should avoid over-committing himself or herself as they will probably aggravate the problem. A person should also prioritize tasks, delegate responsibilities and break projects into manageable small steps. One should also find time to relax sufficiently in a day. These time management techniques help to eliminate instances where one may be stressed due to unaccomplished tasks. Time management is also helpful in suppressing stress as one covers only the tasks that he or she can handle in a specific period; hence not getting over-fatigued that may lead to stress.
Another stress management technique relates to connecting with others effectively. One must identify people with positive thoughts and those that can make him or her suppress a stressful condition. Despite the fact that people may not entirely help to solve the issue causing stress, they create the environment for a person to express him/herself and hence be relieved. For instance, people who make one feel safe, laugh and/or understood help a person express him/herself (Bennett & Lengacher, 2009). Expressing one’s fears, worries or aspects causing stress to others acts as a natural stress reliever. Consequently, one can manage a stressful situation.
References
American Psychological Association. (2014). Stress in America survey. APA, Washington, DC.
Baqutayan, S. (2011). Stress and social support. Indian journal of psychological medicine, 33(1), 29.
Bennett, M. P., &Lengacher, C. (2009). Humor and laughter may influence health IV. Humor and immune function. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6(2), 159-164.
Jacobs, G. D. (2001). The physiology of mind–body interactions: The stress response and the relaxation response. The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 7(1), 83-92.
Ozbay, F., Johnson, D. C., Dimoulas, E., Morgan III, C. A., Charney, D., & Southwick, S. (2007). Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 4(5), 35.
Yuceler, A., Kaya, S. D., &Ileri, Y. Y. (2016). Time Management and Stress Relationship in Terms of Health Sector Employees. In Business Challenges in the Changing Economic Landscape-Vol. 2 (pp. 107-119). Springer International Publishing.
