Stress helps you meet your daily challenges and motivates you to reach your goals, ultimately making you a smarter, happier, and healthier person. However when you are stressed, what body reactions or clinical manifestations do you often experience? After studying the endocrine system and the stress response, can you explain how these clinical manifestations occur?
To live a stress-free life is purely ideal. Maybe in an alternate universe, such a dream is their reality. But in our world, people undergo stressful situations, from simple to complex ones, in their everyday lives. As for me, the need to adapt to abrupt changes, the overwhelming tasks, and the pressures of being a student are my common stressors. In events where I am faced with these, I usually experience headaches, a rapid heartbeat, mood swings, trouble sleeping, and fatigue. Indeed, stress could be demotivating and result in unproductivity, but at some point, this also drives me to work harder and achieve a sense of accomplishment.
The body goes through three stages after being prompted by a stressor: the alarm stage, the resistance stage, and the exhaustion stage. The alarm stage is the initial reaction of the body under stress, in which the body’s mechanisms assemble for a fight-or-flight response. At this stage, the heart rate and adrenaline increase, while the adrenal gland releases cortisol, which helps the body get an energy boost and better handle a situation. On the other hand, the resistance stage is when the body begins to recover and restore homeostasis through the release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). In cases where the stress remains unresolved, the body is prompted to live with a higher stress level, which can lead to the exhaustion stage. This stage is the result of prolonged or chronic stress, wherein the body has used up its energy and resources to counteract the stressors. It is manifested through physical, emotional, and mental fatigue.
They say that the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). But despite being a normal reaction of the body, stress can turn into a much more serious problem without proper management. Thus, taking breaks, establishing healthy coping mechanisms, and having a strong support system is most essential as we deal with stress in life.
References:
Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Management & Prevention. (2021, January 28). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress
Legg, T. J. (n.d.). General Adaptation Syndrome: Your Body's Response to Stress. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/general-adaptation-syndrome#stages