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Although many people view stress as a bad thing, it is important to manage and

understand the different kinds of stress. There are many studies and statistics describing the

different ways different forms of stress can affect our bodies. Some may believe that all stress is

bad stress which is not always the case. It’s always reasonable and responsible to be aware of

what makes you anxious or stressed, but it is equally as important to understand why you are

stressed out, what affects this stress may be having on your mind and body, and how you can

cope with it. The ways in which it is important to manage the different types of stress your body

undergoes is crucial to maintain a healthy physical and mental state. While many believe all

stress should be seen as bad, viewing all stress in a negative way can lead to a lack of

organization, bodily abnormalities, and long-term impacts.

I have always been one to stress out about the little things. It can feel like the easiest

decision to make when it comes to everyday life. Prior to viewing a TedTalk video discussing

how detrimental negative stress can be, stress was viewed as an emotion that needed to be

eliminated at all costs. I was quickly introduced to the idea that stress may not necessarily be

something needed to hold a negative connotation. The common idea that all stress is bad and

needs to be handled and addressed in the exact same way for everyone is a misconception that

needs to be eliminated. I am one who is constantly working on the relationship I have with my

stress. Stress is a thing that seems to seep into various aspects of our lives that does not need to

be a part of. Regulated efficiently, your stress can be viewed as a normal, as well as vital

experience needed in order to establish growth and maturity within your life.
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Beginning with what is important to know and understand about stress. In the article

titled, “5 Things You Should Know About Stress,” the author informs the reader that everyone

experiences stress but urges the audience to remember that everyone is different in how they deal

with their day to day stress. The author describes three forms of stress including, “Routine stress

related to the pressures of school, work, family, and other daily responsibilities”, “Stress brought

about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness”, and “Traumatic

stress experienced during an event such as a major accident, war, assault, or natural disaster

where people may be in danger of being seriously hurt or killed,” (The National Institute of

Mental Health Information Resource Center.) The ways your body responds to stress are

indicators that you may be in need of protection or need to become more aware of the situation

and your surroundings. Learning to listen to your body and understand when it may be indicating

you are in trouble can be crucial. The article describes possibilities of body reactions. These

reactions may include your heart rate increasing, perspiration, and shortness of breath. These

signals can act as preparation for possible threats exposed in your everyday life. These signals of

stress aren’t bad or detrimental and shouldn’t be seen as something that is negatively affecting

your body. View these signals as gracious reminders that you should be aware of what is going

on around you. It can serve as a very healthy habit to be thankful towards these reminders. They

could save your life.

The author discusses ways in which you can manage and deal with this type of stress as

well as more damage provoking stress. The article reads, “Be observant. Recognize the signs of

your body’s response to stress, such as difficulty sleeping, increased alcohol and other substance
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use, being easily angered, feeling depressed, and having low energy,” (The National Institute of

Mental Health Information Resource Center). It is important to recognize when your body is

responding to everyday activities and experiences in a negative or unusual way. These emotions

could be seen as a sign of your body being overly stressed. Learning to recognize the patterns

your body is showing on a daily basis can lead to a more aware and conscious mindset and thus a

more healthy, more secure mental state. Other methods the article provides in managing your

stress is to, “Talk to your health care provider or a health professional. Don’t wait for your health

care provider to ask about your stress. Start the conversation and get proper health care for

existing or new health problems. Effective treatments can help if your stress is affecting your

relationships or ability to work,” (The National Institute of Mental Health Information Resource

Center). The author dips into the possibility of your stress appearing to have an impact on your

body beyond day to day signals and emotions. The threat of stress taking a toll on your overall

life can become apparent in your daily interactions and experiences. Should you feel like your

stress is coming to the point where you are unable to manage it on your own, the author presents

the idea of talking to a professional to get to the root of your stress habits. Some people may

view the answer “no” as offensive or selfish, but it is crucial to understand the importance of

putting yourself first and making decisions based on your best interest. The author writes, “Set

goals and priorities. Decide what must get done now and what can wait. Learn to say “no” to

new tasks if you start to feel like you’re taking on too much. Try to be mindful of what you have

accomplished at the end of the day, not what you have been unable to do,” (The National

Institute of Mental Health Information Resource Center). Learning to view the things you have
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completed more than the things you have not, can be a healthy stepping stone and important

achievement to how you view yourself as well as how you manage your stress inducing

problems.

A study provided in the article titled, “The Negative Impact of Stress on Mental Health,”

states that “75 – 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints,”

(Guest Author for www.rtor.org). This percentage alone indicates that the large majority of us

deal with stress ranging from minor, everyday inconveniences, to major, life altering traumas.

That being said, it is reasonable to conclude that you are not going through your stress alone.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people deal with various forms of stress everyday. Take comfort in

the fact that you are not the only one who deals with stress. Of the many reasons people visit the

doctor’s office, many of them are rooted in stress. The percentages of different physical

indicators of stress causing for a needed doctor’s visit include:

Fatigue

51%

Headache 44%

Upset Stomach 34%

Muscle Tension 30%

Change in Appetite 23%

Feeling Dizzy 13%

(Guest Author for www.rtor.org).

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The reason for your body to undergo physical symptoms of stress is said in the article that

“When we feel stressed-out, the brain sends out a distress signal which results in the body being

flooded with adrenaline,” (Guest Author for www.rtor.org). The article also reiterates the idea

that it is important to understand and be aware of your stressors. Again, it is important to

recognize when your stress is progressing past the point of self-regulation, and seek help from a

professional health specialist to take steps towards the improvement of your personal stress life.

When your stress peaks beyond the point of minor inconveniences and into more serious stress,

your impacts may become more chronic and less resilient.

Apart from the physical indicators that are used to alert your body of daily stressors, your

body can experience damaging impacts due to repeated and habitual stress. Mentioned earlier, if

your accumulated stress gets to the point where it becomes steady and/or growing, the effects

that follow can lead to chronic stress. Discussed in the article titled, The effects of chronic stress

on health: new insights into the molecular mechanisms of brain–body communication,” Agnese

Mariotti states, “It is clear that stress has both a physical (objective) and a psychological

(subjective) component: the latter, as described by Koolhaas and colleagues, depends on the

individual perception of its predictability and controllability,” (Mariotti). The author is

explaining the idea that your stress is only as manageable as you are willing to manage it. Your

relationship with stress depends on how present it appears to be to you in your life. Learning

your custom patterns of stress within your life can help you guide through your stress and know
when you may be tempted to become overwhelmed, anxious, or overly stressed in or about a

situation. The author then states, “The way a person can anticipate a certain stressor and then

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control it, largely defines the resulting stress response, how promptly and efficiently it is

activated promoting adaptation, and how fast it is turned off once equilibrium has been

recovered,” (Mariotti). Mariotti is presenting the idea that your stress can be managed over time

if you view it as being able to be controlled. You can get better at this skill gradually as long as

you are patient and persistent. Knowing when you may be at risk of stress can help you to

hopefully shy away from the negative effects chronic stress can bring. The author describes these

affects being as followed: “psychological stress can induce the acute phase response commonly

associated with infections and tissue damage, and increase the levels of circulating cytokines and

of various biomarkers of inflammation,” “cardiovascular dysfunctions, diabetes, cancer,

autoimmune syndromes,” “abnormal levels of cytokines and stress chemical mediators in the

brain may also damage the parenchyma and cause neuronal death, thus contributing to the brain

structural changes associated with chronic stress,” along with effects on “hematopoietic stem

cells in cardiovascular diseases,” (Mariotti). Through reviewing these illnesses brought up due to

stress, it can be concluded that there is a major significance in the management of your life’s

given stress. Mariotti also discusses the effects of chronic illnesses resulting from brain damage

leading to diagnoses. Author says, “In general, the consequences of these alterations in a brain

region can expand to other functionally connected areas, and potentially cause those cognitive,

emotional and behavioral dysfunctions that are commonly associated with chronic stress, and
that may increase vulnerability to psychiatric disorders,” (Mariotti). The author provides more

ways to deal with stress in hopes of avoiding the long time impacts they may bring including

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viewing how you cope with stress as a priority rather than something you should avoid at all

costs. Mariotti speaks on the importance of your everyday life and says, “the work environment

should stimulate growth and productivity while supporting each individual in their challenges,”

(Mariotti). How you view life’s situations and how you decide to deal with the possible stressful

ones are a big part of your stress management overall. Being able to successfully and rationally

cope with your stress using healthy mechanisms, will allow you to further instill these methods

in your day to day life in order to progress your view on the stress you have. In implementing

these skills and strategies, you will be able to strive toward a secure mental state along with an

aware and healthy mindset. The usage of these skills can lead you to want to improve other areas

in your life. Dealing with your stress may allow you to effectively communicate with others in a

more mature and efficient manner. It can also lead you to wish to see yourself as a better, more

responsible person.

In the article titled, “motion regulation strategies modulate the effect of adverse

childhood experiences on perceived chronic stress with implications for cognitive flexibility,”

authors Vrinda Kalia and Katherine Knauft dive into the possibilities of children who are

exposed to traumatic events at an early age to develop into young adults who struggle with

overactive stressors. The authors speak about how chronic stress can be linked to childhood

situations, stating that “Since chronic stress debilitates activity in the prefrontal cortex (pFC),
maladaptive regulatory strategies in response to stress have been proposed as one explanation for

the impact of early life adversity on health outcomes in adulthood,” (Kalia and Knauft). The

writers explain, “Both positive and negative experiences in early development have a profound

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impact on the brain's development,” early childhood adversity, “such as abuse, parental neglect,

or deprivation, can alter the normative development of neural circuitry [7]. Neurobiological

evidence has shown that ELA can have a debilitating impact on prefrontal cortex (pFC) structure

and function [8,9] in particular.” The ways in which and the environment a child grows up in is

proven to have an impact on their later years as well as their human development. The article

states, “Stress is a subjective experience that engages both the brain and the body [8]. The

physiological stress response emerges from an interaction of individual characteristics and the

environmental context,” (Kalia and Knauft). The idea that you can control your stress gives a

liberating attitude. It can feel so freeing to view stress as something that you are in charge of and

something that you have an influence on. In the article it says, “The biopsychosocial model of

challenge and threat [26] provides an account of individual differences in the experience of stress

by focusing on the person's appraisal of available resources. When demands exceed available

resources, the situation is appraised as threatening. But, when one perceives they have sufficient

resources to meet contextual demands, the stressor is evaluated as challenging, not threatening

[26]. In effect, an individual's stress response is dependent on the way they appraise a stressor,”

(Kalia and Knauft). Having the ability to control and manage your stress will allow you to have a

healthy relationship with it and understand that stress is a normal thing that should happen but

should be regulated and maintained in a holistic manner. Having a healthy view on stress can
allow you to respond to situations in a calmer and more rational way. The authors explain the

cause of early life stressors rooted from childhood experiences. “Early life stressors, however,

which could take the form of maltreatment (physical or sexual abuse) or neglect, often exceed

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the child's ability to evaluate or cope [1]. These early stressors are more likely to be perceived as

uncontrollable and hence more debilitating” (Kalia and Knauft). The results can include the

development of “short-term or maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., drug use) that help them cope

with their stress [5]. These maladaptive behaviors, in turn, account for the link between early life

stress and negative health outcomes” (Kalia and Knauft). The early childhood stressors causes a

sense of need toward unhealthy coping mechanisms which in turn allows room for more

occurring stressors that ultimately creates a cycle of detrimental strategies that leaves the

individual having an unhealthy relationship with their stress.

In a brief TedTalk done by Sharon Horesh Bergquist titled, “How stress affects your

body,” the narrator discusses the fact that “stress is a hardwired physical response that travels

throughout your entire body” (Bergquist). The video describes that stress is normal and should

be present but the overuse of stress can cause cells within your brain as well as organs within

your body to become damaged and overworked. Adrenaline is released each time you become

stressed. As it travels through your body and to your heart, your heart rate increases and your

blood pressure is raised. The video states that cortisol can “cause the endothelium, or inner lining

of blood vessels, to not function normally. Scientists now know that this is an early step in

triggering the process of atherosclerosis or cholesterol plaque build up in your arteries”

(Bergquist). The video says that these changes may “increase your chances of a heart attack or
stroke” (Bergquist). The overstressing in your life may also result in unhealthy eating habits.

Your brain will tell your body that it is in need of extra fueling due to the stress it has undergone.

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Your body is drawn to foods with excessive carbs and calories, causing you to binge in your

favorite comfort foods. The video describes the stress induced eating habits and how “High

levels of cortisol can also cause you to put on those extra calories as visceral or deep belly fat,”

the video says this type of fat is “an organ that actively releases hormones and immune system

chemicals called cytokines that can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases such as

heart diseases and insulin resistance” (Bergquist).

Many people look at stress and automatically assume you need to view it as a horrible

thing that needs to be dealt with by eliminating it completely. This can be true in some cases, but

these sources are stressing the importance of having a healthy relationship with your stress.

Ruling all stress as bad stress defeats the purpose of progressing your physical and mental health

as you view your personal stress. Looking at stress as an opportunity to achieve the possible

struggles or uphill battles you may have to face could cause your brain to rather view stress as a

vital prerequisite for your achievements. Understanding that it is a natural process you have to go

through as a human being can help to improve your idea of stress. Learning to distinguish

unnecessary stress that causes you to stay in one place, and stress that allows you to work up the

courage to keep moving forward can allow you to positively impact your physical and mental

health.
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Works Cited

Guest Author. “The Negative Impact of stress on Mental Health.”

Rtorg.org, July 3, 2019.

https://www.rtor.org/2019/07/03/impact-of-stress-on-mental-health/

“How stress affects your body.” TedTalk by Sharon Horesh Bergquist. Youtube, uploaded by

Ted-Ed, October 22, 2015,

https://youtu.be/v-t1Z5-oPtU

Mariotti, Agnese. “The effects of chronic stress on health: new insights into the molecular

mechanisms of brain–body communication.”

Future Science OA.Published online 2015 Nov 1.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5137920/Accessed November 1

Public Library of Science, June 22, 2020.

https://go-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ps/retrieve.do?

tabID=Journals&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&hitCou

nt=13410&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&docId=GALE

%7CA627744931&docType=Report&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=ZXAY-
MOD1&prodId=OVIC&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE

%7CA627744931&searchId=R1&userGroupName=dayt30401&inPS=true

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health. “5 Things

You Should Know About Stress.”

National Institute of Mental Health.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml