Stress Critique Essay

1. Introduction Nowadays, stress is nothing strange for us because increasing amounts of stress can be found in every aspect of our daily lives. A large number of people suffer a lot from significant pressure, which really disturbs their day-to-day lives. Sometimes they cannot concentrate on their work at all. Worst of all, they can be easily depressed, or even suicidal. There is no doubt that stress can affect people in many aspects, especially physiologically and psychologically. This study will examine the effects of stress and will also identify the best ways to manage stress. 2. Effects of Stress . 1Physiological effects 2. 1. 1 The effects of stress on physiological symptoms According to Subbulaxmi (2002), the effects of pressure can be shown in many ways. The physiological symptoms of pressure are headache, loss of appetite and high blood pressure, which result from irregular work hours, overwork and loss of sleep. If you are under stress, your physical body will quickly respond and tend to show corresponding symptoms. For example, it is hard for you to fall asleep every night and it leads to a serious headache. Another one is that if you have loss of appetite, you may lose weight quickly.

Some other impacts which are muscular tensions, back or neck pain and upset stomach can also make you uncomfortable (Mojoyinola, 2008). 2. 1. 2 The effects of stress on children’s brain growth in early childhood A report by Middlebrooks and Audage (2008) states that stress can also affect children’s brains in their early ages. It is known that not only adults have pressure, but also children in their early lives. A kind of stress called toxic stress is caused by extreme harmful experiences that may last a long period of time (Middlebrooks & Audage, 2008).

The first effect is that the connection of brain circuits is impaired by toxic stress in early childhood, so the brains of children will not develop very well (Middlebrooks & Audage, 2008). The second effect is that brain circuits are really vulnerable because of development during early childhood. Toxic stress can destroy these circuits (Middlebrooks & Audage, 2008). In particular, the last effect is that the body’s immune reaction can be suppressed by the stress hormones, and it will lead to some chronic health problems (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2004). . 2Psychological effects Stress is also a vital psychological concept which can impact on mental health. In a study by Subbulaxmi (2002) it is demonstrated that the psychological effects are depression, anxiety, tension, boredom, difficulty in making decisions and job dissatisfaction. Nowadays, more and more people feel exhausted mentally due to the increase of pressure especially the working pressure. There is no doubt that work related stress influences workers’ mental health. As we know, work plays a vital role in people’s lives.

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When people start to work, they have to face a variety of situations such as poor relationships with other colleagues, bad working conditions and role conflicts at the workplace (Mojoyinola, 2008). These can lead to some psychological problems impacting on people’s mental health. According to Subbulaxmi (2002), in the first place, workers who get stressed seriously are much more depressed and anxious than others. They are always anxious about the work so that they cannot concentrate on anything. They probably look absent-minded when they are working.

Apart from depression and anxiety, boredom results in complaining about everything. Moreover, role conflicts lead to difficulty in making decisions (Mojoyinola, 2008). Lastly, they are unsatisfied with jobs on account of poor working and salary conditions. In that case, the work efficiency is usually very low. Based on the above reasons, it is more likely for workers to blame and argue with other colleagues instead of working hard and achieving success. Obviously, job stress has a negative influence on workers’ mental health, which may lead to unhappiness and low efficiency for workers. . Physical 3. 1Diet According to Pereira (n. d. ), diet may affect people’s health and emotion, for instance when people eat too much food which is high in fat may harm the cardiovascular system which is relative to stress. Therefore, developing a good eating habit is an effective way to manage stress. Reducing the intake of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt and fat also can reduce depression. These things all may encourage adrenaline to release, and also can lead to more serious depression. In addition, having fiber every day is beneficial for health, and can reduce the effects of stress.

For these reasons, a balance diet has significant benefit for people who are living in stress, and it can help stressful people to manage their stress (Pereira, n. d. ). 3. 2 Exercise In a study by Edith Cowan University Student Services Centre (n. d. ), it was claimed that doing exercise can be a healthy way to reduce stress. Pereira (n. d. ) also believes that regular exercise is an effective way to relieve the stress, because doing some sports can protect the cardiovascular system from fat. When persons feel stressed, walking a half hour every day may reduce their risks of stress. Edith Cowan University Student Services Centre (n. ) suggests that doing adequate aerobic exercise such as yoga can mitigate the risks of stress and help people to be relaxed. 4. Psychology 4. 1 Communication Spending time on establishing reliable relationships and friendships contributes to stress reduction. Meanwhile, when people feel stress, they could choose their friends or families who can be trusted to communicate with them, and talk about things which lead to their stressful feeling. During the communication, they may find the solutions of their distress and release their emotions (Edith Cowan University Student Services Centre, n. . ). However, when people get some solutions, they need to analyse the benefits and feasibility of these solution (Cooper & Cartwright, 2006). 4. 2Thinking Pereira (n. d. ) claims that if people want to avoid stress, they need to determine their ways of thinking. In addition, the experience of stress can be minimized by positive thinking methods. People who are under stress should distinguish the differences between desires and goal (Pereira, n. d. ). People also need to know which things they are able to influence, and which things they cannot control.

If they are unable to change something, they should learn how to accommodate the situation (Niebuhr, as cited in Pereira, n. d. ). In addition, sometimes, self-talking which is like a voice in people’s mind can be an effective way of thinking. For example, people can question the evidence when they feel stressed, they could think about how to consider objectively. This technique which is like a self-thinking can be helpful for managing stress (Pereira, n. d. ). Edith Cowan University Student Services Centre (n. d. also suggests that if someone finds out that they cannot resist any stress, they could think about some personal situation which may cause their stress, introspect themselves, and examine their lifestyles. During this progress, they will discover the stressors and some possible solutions to relive the pressure. Similarly, Cooper & Cartwright (2006) believe that recognizing the causes of stress is an important strategy to manage stress. Conclusion This research examined the effects of stress and how to manage stress in people’s daily lives. It demonstrated how pressure can impact on people and how people can manage stress.

The effects of stress, which can be divided into two parts, physiological and psychological influences, show us a vital concept. It is clear that stress can affect people a lot. There are a variety of physiological symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite, and high blood pressure, which result from obvious stress in people’s daily lives. There are also some methods, such as good eating habits, effective communication, and doing more exercise, which can manage stress very well. It is difficult to predict when stress comes to us, so the best way for us is to manage stress well.

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