Chapter twelve starts out about stress. The chapter explains what stress is and the different types of stress people experience. Stress is the tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a "situation" Strains our ability to cope effectively. The chapter also discusses the creation of the Hassle scale, this scale is used to determine how stressful events are associated with poor health. How one adapts to stress and the challenges associated with change, discusses the different types of responses to stress. How the brain and body reacts to stress, stress can cause a weak immune system or diseases, such as coronary heart disease. An important section is about coping with stress and different strategies offered to help. Also explains how some ways of coping are better for some rather then others. (I've attached a video of how smiling can reduce stress) The chapter also describes how to live a less stressful life. The end of the chapter provides techniques to make living a healthy lifestyle easier.
What interested me most when reading the chapter was the powerful effects of stress can be linked to physical health issues, like CHD. This caused me to view stress very differently, making me want to live a more stress free life. I also found it interesting how one can measure their stress. By using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) one can see how stressful events have effected their life and if they are susceptible to illness or mental health problems. It was interesting to see how stressful events can affect the mind.
You can measure your own stress here ==> http://www.stresstips.com/lifeevents.htm
Here is the video on smiling
Funny Cartoon!! However, I tend to disagree with the stress causing a weak immune system. I do believe being stressed may have negative affects, but I think nowadays doctors abuse the term, and try to use stress as an explanation to any of the symptoms they don’t have answer to.