Jared Sanchez
Contemporary Health II
October 20, 2012

Stress: The Constant Challenge Coping with stress can be a constant challenge and it can be hard for someone to handle by themselves. Stress can come from many things such as failing a test, getting into a car accident, and even a break up with a significant other. Stress can be developed by anything that makes you worry about more than you should be worrying about it. Stress-producing factors can be pleasant or unpleasant and can include physical challenges, goal achievement, and events that are perceived as negative. Dealing with stress is hard because without support someone can be really hurting themselves and not even know it. It’s physically, emotionally, and mentally impossible for someone to carry the weight of the world on their back no matter whom you are.
Stress, such as many other terms, is misunderstood by people because they don’t really know the precise meaning. Stress is the general physical and emotional state that accompanies the stress response. Stressors are the specific reasons that stress happen. A stressor is any physical or psychological event or condition that produces physical and emotional reactions. First dates with a girlfriend or an upcoming final exam are examples of stressors. Sweaty palms and a pounding heart are symptoms of the stress response. Every time someone goes through stress there is always a response to it. Responses to stressors however can include a wide variety of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes. Two systems in your body are responsible for your physical response to stressors, your nervous system and your endocrine system. The nervous system is under involuntary control and consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. During stress, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of glands, tissues, and cells that help control body functions by releasing hormones and other chemical messengers into the bloodstream to influence metabolism and other body processes. The fight-or-flight reaction is a part of our biological heritage, and it’s a survival mechanism that has served us humans very well. The fight-or-flight reaction is in response to a stressor the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system prepare your body to deal with an emergency. This reaction also prepares the body for physical action regardless of whether such action is a necessary response to a particular stressor. Everyone experiences a similar set of physical responses to stressors but the responses vary from person to person and from situation to situation. Not everyone deals with stressor the same way and the way one person deals with stress can be totally different than someone else in the same situation. Other factors that cause stress are cultural background because some cultures expect more from their people than others. Gender can also play a big role because as we all know men and women still aren’t treated equally in America. Another factor that can cause stress is experience, someone that’s just coming to a new country may not have any experience in a culture that we have in America so it may be hard at first for them to get used to the way Americans go about everyday life. According to the American Psychological Association 43% of adult Americans suffer from stress related illness.
As a college student stress is approached many times throughout the week. College is a time of major changes and minor hassles. For most students at college means the first time that they have to live on their own and some people can handle being away and some people can’t. in college there is many factors that can add to stress such as academic stress, interpersonal stress, time pressure, financial concerns, and worries about their future. For students just out of high school exams, grades, and an endless workload in college can be very over whelming. Most students are more than just students and this is where interpersonal stress comes into play. They are also friends, children, employees and spouses and the list goes and. It can be stressful to try and juggle the rigors of college life and stay focused at the same time. Time pressures include class schedules, assignments, and deadlines that are inescapable to a student in college. Most importantly in my opinion are financial concerns because not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to go away to college and still have money in their pocket to eat, go out, and do things that take them away from school work once in a while. Worries about the future also play a role in developing stress because as college life comes to an end, students worry about how life is going to be after college. Facing the real world isn’t as easy as it seems and without proper preparation even a college graduate can be overwhelmed with stress.
Even though some people fall under the pressure of stress there is always a way to manage it and try to make to situation better. Managing stress is very important because when a person is going through stress he or she needs to know what to do to help them out of the situation. Establishing a good support system is a good way to manages stress because when you’re in need of someone to talk to you know you’ll have someone there. Also improving your communication skills can help because one of the most important parts of dealing with something is letting someone else know what you’re going through. Developing healthy exercise, eating, and sleeping habits is my favorite way to deal with stress because exercise and taking care of myself has always been something I’ve been interested in keeping. Dealing with stress can be over whelming but knowing more about stress and its meaning can help you get through everything life will throw at you.

Works Cited http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm http://www.mindtools.com/stress/UnderstandStress/StressDefinition.htm