# Stress

## November 9th, 2020

-   So, stress - let's talk about it!
    -   There's a concept called "the mind-body connection," the idea that how you think affects your physical health, and vice-versa
    -   PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY builds on this by examining how thoughts affect our immune system

-   STRESS is a real or imagined threat to one's being, and the accompanying physiological responses
    -   People respond to stress in many different ways, and are caused stress by different things
    -   STRESSORS are events that cause our bodies to react or respond
        -   Stressors may even be imagined, and what acts as a stressor can be affected by a HUGE combination of variables personal to you (past experiences, fears, perception, personality, sleep schedule, how in control you feel, etc.)
    -   The TRANSACTIONAL MODEL OF STRESS (AND COPING) proposes that our reaction to stress is NOT primarily about the stressor itself, but our personal reaction to the stressor, and is incredibly relative
        -   Roller coasters, for instance, are fun for some people and incredibly stressful for others; public speaking is fine for some people, and nerve wracking for others ("many people have a higher stress response to public speaking than death")
    -   The boon of this is that by changing your perception of things, you can reduce the effects of stress! You can develop coping skills with stress!

-   Now, stress isn't always bad
    -   There's 2 main types: DISTRESS can have a negative effect on your health, and EUSTRESS is a positive kind of stress that can grow you personally and is often exciting (e.g. planning a wedding, or winning a race)
        -   Both of these, though, have similar physiological responses!
    -   ACUTE stress is short-term stress to an immediate perceived threat that goes away quickly (e.g. getting cut off on the freeway, or getting a pop quiz in class)
    -   CHRONIC stress is longer-term stress to ongoing or numerous perceived threats, and can inhibit normal function and alter your base stress levels (e.g. divorce, caring for sick loved one, ongoing illness, unemployment, etc.)
    -   TRAUMATIC stress is a result of witnessing or experiencing a major accident or incident, e.g. shootings, sexual violence, natural disasters, etc.
        -   These effects may last years after the event, and can lead to PTSD

-   The FIGHT OR FLIGHT response is where our heart rate and blood pressure goes up, we fill with adrenaline, energy moves from digestion to the muscles; after 15-20 minutes, the body goes back down
    -   STRESS triggers this response just like a tiger, along with stuff like eating fast food
    -   If we don't have stress relief (like adequate sleep or down time), then our body will constantly run at this elevated state and drain our adrenal glands and weaken our immune system, leading to disease
    -   GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME says that stress has 3 stages: ALARM, RESISTANCE, and EXHAUSTION
        -   ALARM is fight-or-flight, and lowers our resistance to stress
            -   Everything increases: your blood pressure, you're sweating, your muscles are tensing, glucose increases in your bloodstream, your hearing becomes more sensitive, your pupils dilate, etc.
            -   It also slows down 2 non-essential systems: digestion, and the immune system
            -   This engages the SYMPATHETIC part of the AUTONOMIC nervous system
                -   "I like putting this question on exams"
            -   This is stimulated by the adrenal glands (above the kidneys), which release ADRENALINE, or EPINEPHRINE (which can literally restart your heart)
                -   The adrenal gland has an outer CORTEX and inner MEDULLA, and is small, about half an inch long
        -   RESISTANCE is when our body tries to return to homeostasis
            -   This is when the PARASYMPATHETIC nervous system kicks in to slow our body back down
                -   This releases OXYTOCIN, the "cuddle chemical"
            -   Again, HOMEOSTASIS is just a fancy word for our body trying to return to normal conditions
        -   EXHAUSTION is when our body runs out of energy for resistance, and drops back down again; this especially happens over

-   Stress can lead to mild symptoms, like headaches, stomach aches, dry mouth, tense muscles, etc. - over time, it can lead to more severe symptoms like jaw pain, chest pains, etc.
    -   To avoid this, you need the "quadfecta" of good health: physical activity, stress management, good nutrition, and adequate sleep
    -   Cardiovascular disease risk is exacerbated under stress
        -   The huge INTERHEART study found that stress was one of the biggest modifiable risk factors in heart disease, since it increases your heart rate and blood pressure (as well as your blood sugar, since the body starts producing glucose to give you extra energy to fight the perceived threat)
    -   This similarly puts you at increased risk for diabetes
    -   CORTISOL is a stress hormone that increases hunger, which can lead to obesity or "stress eating"
    -   Stress can interfere with sleep
    -   It can also exacerbate digestive problems
    -   Prolonged stress suppresses your immune system
    -   Acute stress impairs short-term memory, and long-term chronic stress can affect the hippocampus and increase your risk for Alzheimer's; stress is the single greatest impact on schoolwork for college students
        -   Stress, in fact, is a HUGE contributor to mental disabilities and can trigger depression, anxiety, and more

-   "Exercise is one of the best responses to being stressed out; it's what your body is preparing for during the fight-or-flight stage, after all"

-   In college students, there's TONS of stressors: stress of adjusting to new places, fear of failure, uncertainty over future, financial concerns, relationship stress, family problems, etc.
    -   INTERNAL stressors are stressors that come from your own thinking
        -   Higher self-esteem lowers your stress levels, along with self-efficacy and your "self talk"
    -   PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE is your ability to bounce back from adversity, while psychological HARDINESS is your ability to cope with stress in the moment

-   COPING MECHANISMS are ways of dealing with stress, healthily or non-healthily