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What is Stress?
For example, consider Robert and Tom. Robert wants to make it into the basketball championships and has been practicing - every day since he was a teen - for this very moment. Tom has medical board exams, however wasn’t serious about studying until now. Tomorrow is “the big event” for both. Physiologically, Robert and Tom are both going to experience rapid breathing and heartbeat, a higher metabolism, active sweat glands, etc. Not to mention feeling psychologically heightened sensitivities, greater concentration on the present and near future, and so on Tom and Robert are both uncertain about their end result - however, their outcomes will be (self) judged differently. Both these guys are stressed, but most likely in different ways. Take a guess at who’s feeling doubt and fearful stress; and who’s feeling eager to prove himself!
What are the Effects of Stress? As noted above, stress can cause physical effects to your body and mind. Stress may have a bearing on raised blood pressure, a rise in blood sugar level, rapid heartbeat, and a lower digestive rate. Physically, stress can lead to shoulder, back, and neck muscle tension; stomach and bowel upset; and if the stressful state persists - it can lead to the weakening of your immune system. Next come the frequent colds and other bad health effects. Stress affects us psychologically by causing lack of concentration, irritability, quick temper, moodiness, unreasonable anger, less patience, less memory recall, difficulty making decisions, and uncertainty towards the future (due to not being able to cope with the present). If stress remains uncombatted, it may lead to depression, crying, apathy, overall sense of doom, fear of failure, and a loss of confidence. Fear not, for this is not your only choice! Stress can be dealt with and beaten! Stress can be managed, reduced, and even eliminated by realistically evaluating the factors that lead to your stress, while keeping a sense of perspective of their possible outcomes.
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Stress. When you see this word, do you almost immediately register it as unpleasant? We needn’t always think stress is negative. Stress can be positive, too. How we deal with stress when it arises is what’s significant in evaluating our physical and mental state of health. 