Psychological and Physiological Effects of Stress
Psychological and Physiological effects of stress
Throughout a lifetime one may experience thousands of different episodes of stress. The level of stress could vary; from very intense to minimal. Irreguardless of the level, stress has an effect on a person’s physical and emotional well- being. Reactions to stress effects us as well as people with whom we live, work, and encounter on a daily basis. The narrative will address the psychological and physiological effects that arise from stress – related situations.
Psychological Effects
The amount of stress in our lives depends on how we are able to deal with it in our lives. Many situations have occurred in recent events that were a direct result of stress. For example, November 14, 1991, in Royal Oak, Michigan, Thomas Mcllvane opened fire at a post office killing five people. Mcllvane was employed there but was fired for insubordination (Wikipedia .com) Thomas was distraught about being fired from a position he had held for so long. Stressful situations can also effect our decision making processes. We also can experience “burnouts” or times were we are just plain tired or uninterested with things going on in our lives. Posttraumatic stress disorders is also an effect of being stressed out. This disorder occurs when a traumatic event happens and it’s a constantly on our minds (Weiten, Lloyd 2006).
Physiological Effects
Excessive stress in our lives has been attributed to several health issues. The most important effect is that of the immune system. Studies show that stress can weaken the immune systems ability to suppress infectious agents (Chiapelli , Hodgson 2000). Stress can also speed the progression of a disease or prolong the recovery of one’s disease (www.tm.cme.edu). Stress has been linked to cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and drug and alcohol abuse. Chronic stress can decrease short term memory in some instances. Researchers say that stress is
Throughout a lifetime one may experience thousands of different episodes of stress. The level of stress could vary; from very intense to minimal. Irreguardless of the level, stress has an effect on a person’s physical and emotional well- being. Reactions to stress effects us as well as people with whom we live, work, and encounter on a daily basis. The narrative will address the psychological and physiological effects that arise from stress – related situations.
Psychological Effects
The amount of stress in our lives depends on how we are able to deal with it in our lives. Many situations have occurred in recent events that were a direct result of stress. For example, November 14, 1991, in Royal Oak, Michigan, Thomas Mcllvane opened fire at a post office killing five people. Mcllvane was employed there but was fired for insubordination (Wikipedia .com) Thomas was distraught about being fired from a position he had held for so long. Stressful situations can also effect our decision making processes. We also can experience “burnouts” or times were we are just plain tired or uninterested with things going on in our lives. Posttraumatic stress disorders is also an effect of being stressed out. This disorder occurs when a traumatic event happens and it’s a constantly on our minds (Weiten, Lloyd 2006).
Physiological Effects
Excessive stress in our lives has been attributed to several health issues. The most important effect is that of the immune system. Studies show that stress can weaken the immune systems ability to suppress infectious agents (Chiapelli , Hodgson 2000). Stress can also speed the progression of a disease or prolong the recovery of one’s disease (www.tm.cme.edu). Stress has been linked to cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and drug and alcohol abuse. Chronic stress can decrease short term memory in some instances. Researchers say that stress is