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Research Notes
Research Notes
Research Notes:
● When you have to handle more than you are used to, you feel stressed.
● Stress is a normal reaction and your body responds to it by releasing hormones
that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster and give you a burst of
energy.
● Stress can be caused by many things such as emotional problems, major life
changes, relationships, conflicts with your belief and values, stress in your family,
social situation
● There are physical, behavioural, cognitive, and emotional signs of stress
● The physical signs of stress are: headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood
pressure, chest pain, and nausea.
● The emotional signs of stress are moodiness, irritability, depression, loneliness,
feeling overwhelmed and inability to relax.
● The cognitive signs include memory loss, poor judgement, constant worrying,
and anxious or racing thoughts.
● The behavioural signs are sleeping too much or too little, eating too much or too
little, isolating yourself from others, and neglecting responsibilities.
● Those are the most common symptoms but there are ways to manage them
● Stress is a problem because it leads to health problems and has a very negative
impact on people’s lives.
● There are 3 main types of stress: acute, episodic, and chronic
● Acute stress: a very short period of time, most widely experienced, mainly the
symptoms are anger or irritability, anxiety and depression also muscular
problems.
● Episodic stress: acute stress that is suffered too frequently, it is not as bad as
chronic stress though. Some symptoms are excessive competitiveness,
aggressiveness, impatience, and ceaseless worry
● Chronic stress: long term, very negative impacts on health,serious illnesses can
be caused by it, the symptoms are physical, mental, and emotional. Sometimes
people forget about it because it gets too old and they are used to it. Difficult to
treat and can kill through suicide.
● Ways to avoid unnecessary stress: avoid stressful conversations, manage time
and keep a balance in your schedule so you don’t get overwhelmed.
● Things that cause stress: the death of a loved one, moving schools or moving to
another city, chronic illness, traumatic event such as a natural disaster
● Common external causes of stress are major life changes, work or school,
relationship difficulties, financial problems, being too busy, children and family
● Common internal causes of stress are chronic worry, pessimism, negative
selftalk, unrealistic expectations/perfectionism, rigid thinking, lack of flexibility,
allornothing attitude
● Factors that influence your stress tolerance:
○ Social Support Social engagement is the body’s most evolved strategy for
responding to stress.The more lonely and isolated you are, the less
opportunity you have to utilize social engagement and the greater your
vulnerability to stress.
○ Exercise LevelsYour physical and mental health are intrinsically linked, so
the better you take care of your body, the greater resilience you’ll have
against the symptoms of stress. Exercising can lift your mood and help
relieve stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration.
○ Diet Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined
carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress while
eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, highquality protein, and
healthy fats, especially omega3 fatty acids, can help you better cope with
life’s ups and downs.
○ Sense of Control It may be easier to take stress in your stride if you have
confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere
through challenges.
○ Attitude Optimistic people are often not that stressful. They tend to
embrace challenges, have a strong sense of humor, and accept that
change is a part of life.
○ Knowledge & Preparation The more you know about a stressful situation,
including how long it will last and what to expect, the easier it is to cope.
● Is there a link between stress and illness?
○ Stress responses have an effect on digestive system. During stress
digestion is inhibited. After stress digestive activity increases. This may
affect the health of digestive system and cause ulcers. Adrenaline
released during a stress response may also cause ulcers.
○ Stress responses increased strain upon circulatory system due to
increased heart rate etc. Stress can also affect the immune system by
raising blood pressure.
○ Hypertension (consistently raised blood pressure over several weeks) is a
major risk factor in coronary heart disease (CHD)
○ Stress also produces an increase in blood cholesterol levels, through the
action of adrenaline and noradrenaline on the release of free fatty acids.
This produces a clumping together of cholesterol particles, leading to clots
in the blood and in the artery walls and occlusion of the arteries.
○ In turn, raised heart rate is related to a more rapid buildup of cholesterol
on artery walls.
★ Common symptoms of stress include:
● A fast heartbeat.
● A headache.
● A stiff neck and/or tight shoulders.
● Back Pain
● Fast breathing.
● Sweating, and sweaty palms.
● An upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea
★ Over time, stress can affect your:
○ Immune system Constant stress can make you more likely to get sick
more often.
○ Heart S
tress is linked to high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat
(arrhythmia), blood clots, and hardening of the arteries . It's also linked to
coronary disease, heart attack, and heart failure.
○ Muscles Constant tension from stress can lead to neck, shoulder, and low
back p
ain. Stress may make rheumatoid arthritis worse.