Psychology for Life Paper

PSY-100

Psychology For Life Paper

A simple online stress-assessment has revealed how much stress I have actually dealt with this past year. I scored 409 of 600 possible points on the stress test from the mind tools website. According to their results, I have a high risk of becoming ill in the near future. This is because an overwhelming amount of stress can negativity effect mental stability which in turn leads to a decline in physical health. Both of the aforementioned will cause a drastic decline in everyday productivity.

Symptoms of physical stress can include muscle soreness, stomach pain, quickened respiration, sweating, headaches, nausea, heightened senses, and rapid heartbeat (Kotz, 2008). Recognizing the symptoms of physical stress can be as simple as talking to a doctor in order to weed out the possibility of another illness. I found out that I suffered from stress related illness because I went to see my doctor because I was constantly getting sick. These symptoms are a product of the body overworking itself because of its natural fight or flight responses. The brain produces cortisol hormones in the response to a stressor. An abundance of these cortisol hormones can cause more colds and illness, while too little can cause an over reactive immune system (Randall, 2012). In turn, too much of the stress hormones can also overwork the brain to the point of mental instability.

Mental health can be significantly damaged by a stressful event. Symptoms of mental stress are anxiety, depression, and confusion. Anxiety is the feeling of panic from a person over thinking a situation that may or may not exist. An example could be me shaking and sweating due to having to speak in front of an audience. Depression is when a person feels overwhelmingly sad, or ecstatically happy with no in between, or no feelings at all. I currently suffer from stress related depression because of a death in the family, and a stressful home life. These symptoms are often seen in people with high levels of stress and can be identified by a psychiatrist. People suffering from such things as depression and anxiety can feel unusually on edge or abnormally sad. Depression and anxiety is most noted in stressed out college students that too often abuse caffeine and alcohol when under the pressure of deadlines (Randall, 2012). Because of stress, these students often under perform in their courses. Stress can be a major factor in the decline of performance in the professional workplace as well.

I know that when I am stressed out it is hard to focus on important tasks at work. This is because I can only think of the things that are causing my stress. I begin to ignore attention to detail and at the end of the day it feels like I have not been productive. This is because of the lack of motivation to get things done. When I am emotionally drained, I lack the motivation to do anything because I am either exhausted or too depressed to care. This lack of motivation can also effect personal relationships and social life. I know that when I am going through stressful times I don’t want to talk to my friends or deal with people in general. This is because people are one of the main causes of my stress.

I believe that the right amount of stress can be beneficial to my health as long as I can balance stress and relaxation. If I know how to balance all of my priorities I will have the ability to free my mind from stressful thoughts and eventually solve my problems with anxiety and depression. Overall I was not surprised with my stress result assessment. I can manage symptoms of stress through practicing relaxation techniques by slowing my breathing as well as listening to calming music. Understanding stress and the symptoms of stress in everyday life is important in maintaining overall health. Recognizing the symptoms of stress can help me manage my health in the long run.

References

Kotz, D. (2008). Relax! Stress, if Managed, Can Be Good for You. U.S. News & World Report, 144(17), 54.

Randall, M. (2012). The Physiology of Stress: Cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science. Retrieved on: November 11, 2016, From: http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2011/02/the-physiology-of-stress-cortisol-and-the-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis/#.WClec_krLIVhttp://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2011/02/the-physiology-of-stress-cortisol-and-the-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis/#.WClec_krLIV