Stress Reduction Essay Example

and anxiety, there was not a single person that responded saying their stress and anxiety levels had remained static or increased.

According to the ADAA survey on stress, seven out of ten adults in the U.S experience stress and/or anxiety daily, and most claim that the stress and/or anxiety affects their life at least on a moderate level. Exercising is the most widely recommended technique for coping with stress for professionals. Also, the article discusses the reason why exercising to manage stress is necessary, describing the effects of stress on the brain and body.

Studies show that stress is capable of removing four to eight years from a person's life span if not coped or dealt with. Yet according to a survey conducted, 59.2% of people experienced stress most of the time or always. Furthermore, sixteen out-of twenty-seven surveyed people stated that they rarely or never get enough sleep recommended for their age. This data is consistent with another question where sixty-six percent of the people surveyed claimed they were either always tired or tired most of the time.

Also, over fifty percent of these people were not satisfied with their lifestyle. This may be a result of the lack of sleep. When asked how severe their anxiety was, thirteen people responded by saying their anxiety was either crippling or extreme. A very interesting

piece of information found was a vast majority of these people sleep to handle and cope with their daily anxiety or stress. This is ironic as many people said they do not get enough sleep at all. Could their stress and/or anxiety be preventing them from getting the proper amount of sleep?

According to a study conducted, it was found that stress acquired from everyday life problems can pile up and affect work performance negatively. On top of this, excessive levels of stress can negatively affect a person’s behavior. Some common behavioral symptoms are, overeating/undereating, social withdraw, and angry outbursts.

Stress is also capable of affecting the body, some common body symptoms are problems sleeping, headaches, chest pains, fatigue, and muscle tensions. It is a must to handle stress as it is a much bigger problem than commonly percepted. Recommended methods of reducing stress include, regular activity/exercise, socializing, maintaining a sense of humor, and setting time aside for hobbies.

Stress is an issue most people deal with regularly. An excess amount of stress can lead to physical and mental ailments. One common issue with stress is negative coping mechanisms. Stress can lead to smoking cigarettes, experimenting with drugs, and alcoholism. Theses negative coping skills for stress

decrease physical health and could potentially lead to death.

“Smoking, alcohol use, and physical inactivity may be pleasurable but deleterious strategies for coping with perceived stress, and they may inadvertently increase the effects of stress on mortality” (Krueger). Stress can cause physical pain, such as headaches. It can also drain the body of physical energy.

Stress can affect, “...risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and adverse mental health status” (Wallace). Physical well-being is crucial to human sustainability. Stress produces higher risk for death and other complications. Stress affects people’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle. It drives individuals to seek unhealthy coping skills, which increases health problems and the probability of death.

Mental health is negatively impacted due to stress. Not coping with stress in healthy ways can cause a multitude of mental illnesses. For college students, stress is a painful burden. Wallace states, “...young adults in a 2 and 4 year college context that same year revealed that 30% of college students reported feeling so depressed it was ‘difficult to function at some time in the past year’”.

Stress increases risk for depression and anxiety. Depression, stress, and anxiety can all cause high risk for suicide. Overwhelming stress inhibits daily life, causing negative emotions.

Healthy coping skills will aid in human well-being and sustainability.

Stress is a normal reaction to a proposed physical or mental threat. The threat can range from poverty, illness, confrontation, strict deadlines, and a wide array of other instances. The result, stress, is a physical and psychological reaction to the threat. Sometimes, these instances can be avoided.

Without the stress created from physical or mental threats, the ability to live a healthier lifestyle can occur. Positive outcomes from stress reduction include, “improved mood, enhanced relationship to self, increased self-control, improved problem solving, awareness of the present, and enhanced interpersonal relationships”. Stress reduction is necessary for everyone in order to subdue the negative aspects of stress that causes unhealthy life choices.