Stress is a type of response, it consists of the tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation, called a stressor, a type of stimulus, strains our ability to cope affectively. Stress if commonly confused with trauma. A traumatic event is a stressor that is so severe that it can produce long-term psychological or health consequences. Until the 1940's stress was not a common word used by scientists.
There are three main approaches to stress. The first one is stressors as stimuli. Stressors as stimuli approach focuses on identifying different types of stressful events, ranging from job loss to combat.The second one is stress as a transaction. Stress as a transaction is how people interpret and cope with stressful events.The third one is stress as a response. Stress as a response assess people's physical and psychological reactions to stressful circumstances.
One thing that struck me in this chapter was the four steps to a healthy lifestyle. Stop smoking was number one, followed by curb alcohol consumption. So many people smoke these days and nothing is really being done about it. I feel some things have changed like the laws in bars, restaurants, campuses, but still when I see doctors and nurses smoking a cigarette outside a hospital, it really makes me think. They try to say smoking is bad for you but they do it themselves.
Another thing that struck me was that in the United States strokes causes more deaths than all types if accidents combined. That is scary. This fact helps people realize that they should change their lifestyle and start being healthier before it is too late.
I learned that stress affects your everyday life, and there are many things you can do to manage stress or prevent it from ruining your life.
-Emily Sirek
