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Literature Review

Within this essay I will be speaking on the ways in which stress can result in negative

affects mentally as well as physically within your body. My research question is “How can your

physical and mental health be negatively affected depending on your response to stress? The

articles and resources I have included all share the same idea that the way you deal with stress

can be damaging to your body and mind. Although some impacts may not show up until you are

a bit older, the agreed idea is that it is important to understand how to cope with your stress in a

healthy and responsible way.

All of these sources listed provide the idea that how we deal with stress is crucial to our

physical and mental life. In “The Negative Impacts of Stress on Mental Health,” the author

speaks about the importance of finding coping mechanisms for your stress that is custom to you.

How someone else deals with the stress in their life may not necessarily be the best way for you

to deal with the stress in yours. This idea is reiterated in the article, “Emotion regulation

strategies modulate the effect of adverse childhood experiences on perceived chronic stress with

implications for cognitive flexibility.” The author speaks about how everyone experiences

different types of stress, ranging from relational stress, financial stress, stress from early

childhood trauma, and everyday stress. Although everyone deals with stress, it is important to

note that not all stress needs to be seen as bad like many believe. In “5 Things You Should Know

About Stress,” it explains how stress affects everyone differently and it is important to regulate

your stress levels to ensure it is not increasing to possible depression or anxiety. As well as

depression and anxiety, in “The effects of chronic stress on health: new insights into the

molecular mechanisms of brain–body communication,” it says that stress can cause imbalances
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of certain chemicals in your brain needed for everyday life. It also describes the possibility of

developing illnesses such as diabetes or cancer. Lastly, in the Ted-Ed video titled, “How stress

affects your body,” Sharon Horesh Bergquist describes the possibility of your body experiencing

irritable bowel syndrome due to the stress you have endured.

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

thing that needs to be dealt with in just the right way. 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 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 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 mental and physical health.

Kalia, Vrinda, Knauft, Katherine. “Emotional Regulation strategies modulate the effect of

adverse childhood experiences on perceived chronic stress with implications for chronic

flexibility.”

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=BasicSear
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chForm&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

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

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/

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

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

Ted-Ed, October 22, 2015,

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