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Paige Cefaratti

Professor Wallace

HON 190

6 December 2021

The Physical and Mental Effects of Stress

Stress is something that is quite easily overlooked and is often portrayed as unimportant

or a sign of weakness. However, this is a dangerous assumption, since stress has many more

effects that frequently go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. Everybody in the world experiences stress,

some on a greater scale than others, and this can lead to detrimental health issues. Stress takes

both a physical toll as well as a psychological toll on a person, specifically college students, and

this is important to recognize as stress is an unavoidable and unfortunate part of life. Although

stress and anxiety are bound to happen throughout a student’s college experience, there are many

beneficial ways to cope with an overwhelming amount of stress as well as resources that most

universities provide.

To begin, stress that has gone untreated can lead to serious physical health problems for a

person. Mayo Clinic stated “Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems,

such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.” (“Stress symptoms: Effects on

your body and behavior”). These health issues are serious and can be very harmful to a person,

which is why realizing that there’s a problem is an important aspect of bettering a person’s

physical well being. Stress has potentially debilitating effects on all systems of the body that can

create a multitude of health issues. To begin, the musculoskeletal system affects a person’s

muscles, and when the body tenses up too much for too long, this can lead to migraines, back

pain, and in some severe cases, muscle atrophy. The respiratory system controls the airways and
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breathing, and when a severe amount of stress is in place, constricted breathing can occur which

could potentially lead to hyperventilation or issues for people with preexisting breathing

conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Another system of

the body that stress can affect is the cardiovascular system. This system consists of the heart and

blood vessels which work together to properly distribute oxygen to the body’s organs and when

chronic stress is involved, it can create problems in the blood vessels and heart which can

increase the risk for a heart attack or hypertension. The endocrine system controls a person’s

hormones as well as sleep cycle and major untreated stress can cause issues with communication

between the brain and the body. The gastrointestinal system manages a person’s digestion, and an

increased amount of stress can trigger bloating or stomach discomfort, due to the lack of

communication between the brain and the stomach. The nervous system has nerves all

throughout the body but is centrally located at the brain and spinal cord. An unusual amount of

stress or anxiety can increase respiration rate and dilation of blood vessels, but usually these

effects are only triggered by a short burst of chronic stress, often described as the feeling of

“fight or flight.” Finally, the reproductive system is also affected by stress both long term and

short term. Chronic stress within males can cause issues with reproduction, specifically sperm

production. Females with high amounts of stress may also have potential issues with conceiving

or with their child’s development.

With all of this information in mind, it is clear that an overwhelming amount of stress or

anxiety can cause many physical issues within human beings. The body is not made for an

immense amount of stress, and the American Psychological Association stated “Our bodies are

well equipped to handle stress in small doses, but when that stress becomes long-term or chronic,

it can have serious effects on your body.” (“Stress effects on the body”). Small amounts of stress
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are manageable, but when it becomes overwhelming and takes over a person’s life, it can become

serious. After knowing this data, it is important to recognize that high amounts of stress can lead

to detrimental physical health issues. Stress is frequently not acknowledged in regards to the

cause of physical health issues, but it is imperative to understand that large amounts of anxiety or

stress can be the stressors for serious health issues within people.

Another issue that an immense amount of stress can lead to is psychological or mental

health issues. This issue is commonly overlooked, but when a massive amount of stress builds up

over time, it can take a toll on a person’s mental health. It has also been shown that recent

negative life events can greatly affect a person’s stress levels. With massive amounts of stress

and a negative event that occurred in life, a person could be greatly overwhelmed and potentially

experience things such as depression or suicidal thoughts. Everyone reacts to stress in different

ways and it is also dependent on the situation. It is shown that “Certain characteristics of a

situation are associated with greater stress responses. These include the intensity or severity of

the stressor and controllability of the stressor…” (Schneiderman, et al.). The way that a person

handles stress or the amount of stress can be dependent on a specific situation. If a person

struggles with chronic or long-term stress or anxiety, their reaction to stress may differ from

someone who had a recent stressful event. Regardless of the time or situation, too much stress

can be harmful to anybody. Stress can affect a person psychologically in how he or she deals

with emotions. It is said that “Forgiveness is the release of negative—and the potential

enhancement of positive—feelings, emotions, and behaviors toward an offender.” (Toussaint 2).

Stress and anxiety are ways of grasping onto negative emotions, whereas forgiveness for

example releases that negativity towards someone. Forgiveness also enhances positive emotions,

a feeling of relief or calmness. This information shows that a lot of stress can greatly affect a
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person’s mood and the way that he or she is thinking as well as acting. Statistics show that

“54.2% of surveyed mental health clinicians believe that anxiety, depression, and stress are the

top concerns of U.S. college student patients.” (Bouchrika). This shows that students are

struggling with important issues such as anxiety and depression, and chronic stress does not help.

Mental health is commonly brushed to the side within society and is deemed as a sign of

weakness. This is untrue as a person’s mental well-being is just as important as their physical

health and well being. Although stress on a small scale can be managed, too much stress can

greatly affect a person’s mental health.

With all this being said, this information is important to understand because the effects

stress can have on a person both physically and mentally are not discussed enough in society.

Every person in the world experiences stress, although the level of stress differs between each

individual. Stress is frequently overlooked as something of importance because everyone

experiences it, but some deal with it more than others. College students specifically experience a

massive amount of stress in just a short amount of time. Students at this age are young and have

just experienced his or her first real step into adulthood. Research.com states “Students not only

have to deal with a bigger academic workload, but they are expected to function socially, plan

financially, and deal with living away from home for the first time.” (Bouchrika). Students now

have a much larger amount of homework and assignments as well as the issue of balancing

financial stress. Moving out is a huge step, especially for students to attend college away from

their home state, and the feeling of homesickness can cause stress and anxiety as well. On top of

all of this, students who don’t know anybody at their university may initially have anxiety about

socializing and making new friends. Dealing with all of these issues simultaneously can cause an

immense amount of stress for a college student who has not usually had to deal with these issues
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prior to being independent. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has also caused additional stress

and anxiety for students due to the changes between taking classes in person or online as well as

the overall fear of getting Covid-19. This issue did not use to exist, but unfortunately it only adds

to a college student’s stress and anxiety. Statistics show that “Six out ten of college students

experienced ‘overwhelming anxiety,’while over 40% were saddled with crippling depression.”

(Bouchrika). As sad as this information is, it provides real data showing that the majority of

college students feel an immense amount of anxiety during their college experience. While this is

to be expected, it is important to recognize that if long-term or chronic stress goes untreated or

brushed to the side, it can cause long lasting effects on a student’s physical and mental

well-being. College is supposed to be a challenge, but letting an overwhelming sense of stress or

anxiety go on for too long can also help to form bad habits for dealing with stress in the future.

Adulthood also comes with large amounts of pressure, and learning how to cope with high

amounts of stress can help for the upcoming years.

On the bright side, there are many ways to deal with stress because schools realize that it

can be stressful at times. It has been shown that “20.3% of college students that sought mental

health services in 2018 used their college/university counseling or health services.” (Bouchrika).

This shows that a fifth of college students throughout the globe use the mental health and

counseling services that are provided for them. Although not every student may take advantage

of the provided services for stress, there are other ways to relieve stress such as physical activity,

getting a hobby, and spending time with loved ones. Stress affects every person differently, but it

is crucial to understand that small things such as working out or taking up a new hobby can

greatly benefit the mental and psychological health of a person who suffers from a great amount
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of stress. Things such as taking up a hobby or spending time with close friends may seem small,

but they are greatly beneficial for a person’s mental well-being.

In conclusion, stress has proven to have both physical and mental effects on college

students, and bringing awareness to this issue may help students to realize the detrimental toll

that stress can have on a person. It has many signs and symptoms that people do not realize and it

is imperative to recognize this in order to prevent it. Stress is often a feeling that is deemed

insignificant, but the long term effects can have serious physical and psychological

consequences. Although stress can be overwhelming, specifically for college students, there are

countless resources that are available to help students manage the stress that he or she is feeling.

Every person in the world deals with stress, some more than others, and that is why it is crucial

to recognize that too much stress can be harmful to someone both physically and mentally.
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Works Cited

Bouchrika, Imed. “50 Current Student Stress Statistics: 2020/2021 Data, Analysis &

Predictions.” Research.com, 26 October 2020,

https://research.com/education/student-stress-statistics. Accessed 16 November 2021.

Schneiderman, Neil, et al. “STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological

Determinants.” National Center for Biotechnology Information,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2568977/. Accessed 16 November 2021.

“Stress effects on the body.” American Psychological Association, 1 November 2018,

https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body. Accessed 16 November 2021.

“Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior.” Mayo Clinic, 24 March 2021,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-sympto

ms/art-20050987. Accessed 16 November 2021.

Touissant, Loren, et al. “Effects of lifetime stress exposure on mental and physical health in

young adulthood: How stress degrades and forgiveness protects health.” J Health

Psychol, June 2016,

http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC4363296&blobtype=pdf.

Accessed 16 November 2021.