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you are in: general health >> stress | |
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Stress is the body's response to environmental demands. In general, when environmental demands exceed your ability to cope, it creates stress. Being in college can be extremely stressful, because there are constant demands on students to adjust and change. You may be on your own for the first time, you are balancing the demands of your course work with an increased number of day-to-day responsibilities. You're meeting new people, adjusting to a different living environment, perhaps juggling a job and trying to determine your life course all at the same time. You might also experience other stressors including roommate problems, test anxiety, deadlines, midterms, finals, relationships, and your parents. Some stressors are sudden and severe, some are chronic and serious, some are positive changes that place pressure or demands on you, and still others are expectable life problems. But stress isn't always negative. Positive stress adds anticipation and excitement to life. Insufficient positive stress may leave us feeling bored. On the other hand, too much negative stress can leave us feeling overwhelmed. The art
of stress management is to keep yourself at a level of stimulation
that is healthy and enjoyable - to create a balance of positive
and negative stress that will motivate but not overwhelm you. What
is stress? The body
responds to stress by what is called the General Adaptation Syndrome
(GAS). The GAS occurs in three stages - alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
The fight or flight response is the most common type of alarm stage.
This is when the sympathetic nervous system releases the chemicals
epinephrine and norepinephrine, which prepare the body for action
by increasing heart rate, breathing, alertness, and muscle response,
and the hormone cortisol, which speeds up the body's metabolism.
These actions get the body ready to confront a threat such as an
alarming sound (fight) or escape from it (flight). The body usually
adapts to a prolonged stressor, such as an upcoming final, by entering
the stage of resistance. During resistance, the body's systems return
to normal, but remain alert. Following resistance, the body enters
exhaustion, at which point it can no longer resist the stressor.
Repeated exposure to this response can cause mental and physical
damage. How
do I know when I'm stressed?
These
short-term physical symptoms mainly occur as your body adapts to
perceived physical threats, and are caused by the release of epinephrine
(adrenaline) during the alarm stage of the GAS. Long-term physical
symptoms occur when your body has been exposed to adrenaline over
a long period. Adrenaline works by diverting resources from the
areas of the body which carry out body maintenance (such as your
liver, kidneys and other organs) to the muscles. An example of prolonged
stress might be that for the entire semester you and your roommate
have not gotten along and you experience feelings of anxiety whenever
you go back to your room. This stress may cause your health to deteriorate
and it is common to experience frequent colds and infections, sexual
disorders, aches and pains, feelings of intense and long-term tiredness,
or a change in appetite. How
do diet and exercise relate to stress? Exercise has been shown in studies to reduce feelings of anxiety, helplessness, hostility and depression, and to decrease muscle tension. Stretching and flexing the muscles of the neck, arms, shoulders, back, thighs, and midsection reduce the chance that these muscles will tighten up and produce common indicators of stress - headache, neckache, and backache. The chemicals
in coffee, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes can contribute to increased
stress. Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and may
promote even more nervousness and tension. Use of alcohol and drugs,
a common way to deal with stress, can be addictive and tends to
deal only with the symptoms of the problems. They mask the causes
of stress without eliminating them. Smokers often report that cigarettes
help relieve feelings of stress - however, the stress levels of
adult smokers are slightly higher than those of nonsmokers, and
smoking cessation leads to reduced stress. The apparent relaxant
effect of smoking only reflects the reversal of the tension and
irritability that develop during nicotine depletion. How
can I cope with stress? Managing
your physical and psychological well being
Monitoring
your stress levels Avoiding
extremely stressful situations
What
are some simple relaxation techniques? Visualization involves the imagining of scenes that are relaxing and peaceful - this can help the body relax. Imagine yourself in a setting that is pleasantly relaxing. Guided relaxation (listening to relaxation tapes or having someone read a relaxation exercise to you) can be a pleasant way to relax. The Canyon Ranch site offers a series of guided meditations that you can try right now as you sit in front of your computer! For more
ideas about guided relaxation, you can go to the WebMD
pages on stress management. What
are warning signs I should get help to deal with my stress? Behavioral
symptoms:
Physical
symptoms:
Stress
can be a factor in a variety of physical and emotional illnesses,
which should be professionally treated. You should consult your
medical provider if you experience physical symptoms in the above
list. You should also consult a therapist from Psychological Services
for unmanageable acute stress, severe anxiety or depression. Campus
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last modified: March 4, 2008 |