Psychosocial Health In Relation To Stress

1030 Words5 Pages
This student is about to discuss psychosocial health in relation to stress in everyday life. Firstly, this essay will outline what exactly stress is, then it will examine the causes of it, the ways in which it can affect us, how we react to it, and manage it, all in relation to our psychological, social and general health. This essay will also include some of my own experiences throughout life were I had to experience stress and how it affected me mentally physically and socially. One of the simplest and most commonly used definitions of stress reflects the notion of ‘imbalance’, (Walker et al, 2005). It is a normal physical response to something that makes you feel threatened or upsets your balance in some way. Many situations can cause stress and these pressures are known as stressors. These stressors completely depend on your own perception of the situation, as someone may find what you find stressful quite enjoyable. When stress occurs, the body’s defences immediately kick into gear in an automatic process known as the stress response; this involves the trigger of the autonomic nervous system and the release of adrenaline. The stress response can be a good thing sometimes as it can help one rise to meet challenges and sharpen their concentration, for myself I find that it drives me to study for an exam when I would rather be watching television or out with my friends. The majority of causes of stress that an individual faces on a day-to-day basis are not as extreme as life events. Daily hassles are minor irritations such as misplacing car keys, petty arguments and work deadlines. Major life events do not occur everyday but daily hassles do and if they occur regularly it can become a problem. Beyond a certain point stress can stop being helpful and can cause major damage to ones health; mentally, physically and socially. External factors such as
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