Choose one concept in our lesson today, give a brief explanation about the concept and cite how would you apply this learning in your everyday life.
The concept that really stood out to me in this week’s lesson was the relationship between stress and immunity. This connection is better explained by the field of psychoneuroimmunology, which studies the link between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. More specifically, it justifies that our level of health and immunity against various diseases is influenced by our thoughts, feelings, moods, and beliefs. One example provided from the lesson was the hormone cortisol. This hormone is produced by the adrenal cortex as a response to stress, which is part of the endocrine system. However, it also inhibits the activity of the immune system and thus shows their critical relationship. Personally, this concept makes me more aware of the detrimental effects that stress could have on myself, especially in my daily life. As a UP student, stress is almost synonymous with our academic journey, as the level of workload can really be overwhelming at times. So this concept encourages me to develop effective coping mechanisms and stress-reducing techniques like managing my time effectively to have a balance of rest and study in order to eliminate stress and promote the better function of my immune system. Moreover, I can also utilize this to spread awareness, especially in my family, so we can create better household habits and improve our lives by creating a more positive home environment. In the past few years, our family has dealt with a lot of health challenges. This new knowledge is such an eye-opener that we can use to prevent diseases, remove unhealthy behaviors, and achieve a higher level of stress resistance.