Frank Leebrick

May 4, 2015
Extended Inquiry

We all find ourselves in overwhelming situations at some point in our life, eventually we
then come to learn that life is full of ups and downs, and some of them can be rather stressful.
Sometimes stress just lasts a moment like getting through a speech for your college
communications class. But life can also bring situations that might keep us stressed for a few
days, weeks, or even many months. Often people experience stress because of problems at work
or in social relationships, such as a poor evaluation by a supervisor or an argument with a friend.
Some people may be particularly vulnerable to stress in situations involving the threat of failure
or personal humiliation. Others have extreme fears of objects or things associated with physical
threats such as snakes. When we take the time to realize it even if we're not always thinking
about stress, it can be like a background soundtrack playing within our lives. However, few of us
take the time to analyze the positive factors associated with the impact of stress.
The best way to understand our stress would be to accurately define the term stress
itself. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure,
or negative emotions such as anxiety and anger. Others view stress as the response to these
situations. This response includes physiological changes-such as increased heart rate and muscle
tension-as well as emotional and behavioral changes. However, most psychologists regard stress
as a process involving a person's interpretation and response to a threatening event. According to
Dr. Dhabhar an associate Professor of Psychiatry, and a member of the Cancer Institute,
Immunology Institute, and Neuroscience Program at Stanford University, although the concept
of stress has earned a bad reputation, it is important to recognize that the adaptive purpose of a
physiological stress response is to promote survival during fight or flight. So although stress is
considered to be bad we must remember that in the long run it is beneficial for our survival in
everyday life.

Frank Leebrick
May 4, 2015
Extended Inquiry

As we have seen, the word stress generally has negative definitions, stress is a familiar
and aspect of life, being a stimulant for some, but a burden for many others. Numerous
definitions have been proposed for the concept of stress, each focusing on aspects of both
internal or external challenge and disturbance. A more developed and integrated definition states
that stress is a constellation of events, consisting of a stimulus or otherwise known as a stressor,
that precipitates a reaction in the brain that activates physiological fight-or-flight systems in the
body, this is our stress response. It is important to understand that the only way that a stressor can
affect the brain or body is through the stress response which would be the way we respond to our
stressors. Although many factors are involved, the major mediators of stress effects are
norepinephrine and epinephrine; these are released by the sympathetic nervous system. Since
virtually every cell in the body expresses receptors for one or more of these factors, stress
hormones can induce changes in almost all cells and tissues and inform them about the presence
of a stressor.
What is most important when determining stress would be the amount of time in which
the stress occurs. With that being said short-term stress has been defined as stress that lasts for a
period of minutes to hours, and chronic stress as stress that persists for several hours per day for
weeks or months. Interestingly enough Dr. Lynne Tan of Montefiore Medical Center in New
York City says that stress is a burst of energy you may be wandering how this is even possible?
Well, moderate amounts of stress that are characterized as short term stress, the buzz we get from
a sudden burst of hormones can help people perform tasks more efficiently and can improve
memory. Eustress, which is defines as good stress is the type of emotional challenge where a
person feels in control and provides some sense of accomplishment. It has been found to
improve heart function and make the body resistant to infection, experts say. Not only does this

Frank Leebrick
May 4, 2015
Extended Inquiry

serve as proof that stress can be beneficial but proves eustress isnt something we need to
eliminate from our lives, good stress stimulates us.
What if stress could prevent you from various diseases and mental illness associated with
aging? Well some people believe short-term boosts of stress can strengthen the immune system
and protect against some diseases of aging like Alzheimer's by keeping the brain cells working at
peak capacity. It has been proven that people who experience moderate levels of stress before
surgery have a better recovery than those with high or low levels. Recently, a study suggested
that stress could help prevent breast cancer because it suppresses the production of estrogen. And
earlier this year, research out of Johns Hopkins found that children of mothers who had higher
levels of the stress hormone cortisol during pregnancy were developmentally ahead of those of
women with lower levels. So as chronic stress seems detrimental, it seems that just the right
amount of stress may be all that we need to improve our living conditions.
A more relevant situation that hits close to home for many of my peers would be the
overwhelming stress associated with being a college student. As many college students often
find themselves emerged in what seems to be a never ending work load, it could never seem
possible that college stress has a positive impact on the quality of life. However, according to
Lawrence Weinstein who taught the first-year writing course at Harvard University and
cofounded Harvards Writing Center, scores on the satisfaction with life scale were significantly
negatively correlated with scores on the college student stress scale, suggesting that overall life
satisfaction in college students is adversely influenced by college stress. Although this may seem
negative the findings went on to report that the negative stress experienced in college prepares

Frank Leebrick
May 4, 2015
Extended Inquiry

individuals for real life experiences such as stress in the workforce. Successful college students
essentially turn stress into positive energy and motivation rather than letting it consume them.
We must remember that although stress can be a positive, too much of anything is rarely a
good thing. Weve analyzed that small bursts of stress and occasional episodes for short periods
of time can provide great benefits, but it's never a good idea to expose you to long-term stress,
which is a setup for emotional and physical illness. It is best to recognize the stressors in our life,
whether self-chosen or from outside sources, and use the energy that our bodies produce to our
advantage. As stated before, when we take the time to realize it even if we're not always thinking
about stress, it serves as the background soundtrack playing within our lives. It is how we each
react to our music that determines the way in which we overcome and resolve our stress by
making it a positive factor in life. In conclusion, we all need a little stress in our life.

Works Cited.

Frank Leebrick
May 4, 2015
Extended Inquiry

Dhabhar, Firdaus S. "Effects of Stress on Immune Function: The Good, the Bad, and the
Beautiful." Immunologic research 58.2-3 (2014): 193-210. ProQuest. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
Fackelmann, Kathleen. "Stress can Ravage the Body, Unless the Mind Says no ; A Positive
Outlook can Reduce Impact of Stress on Health." USA TODAY: Mar 22
2005. ProQuest. Web. 25 Mar. 2015 .
Weinstein, Lawrence, and Antonio Laverghetta. "COLLEGE STUDENT STRESS AND
SATISFACTION WITH LIFE." College Student Journal 43.4 (2009): 11612. ProQuest. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Whyte, John M.D. "How Stress Can Be a Very Good Thing." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.