How Stress Affects You

Lesson 2

When you feel threatened, your body’s immediate response is physical—your body wants to act. The stress response, also called the “fight-or-flight” response, is your body’s reaction to a stressor. This response prepares you to fight a stressor or to run away from it (flight).

Describe the body’s stress response.

These changes are an immediate and unconscious physical response to the stressor. One of the first changes is that your body releases epinephrine. Epinephrine is a stress hormone that increases the level of sugar in your blood and directs the “fight-or-flight” response. A hormone is a chemical substance produced by glands that serves as a messenger within your body. The extra sugar released by epinephrine gives you a quick energy boost, which prepares you to fight or to run.

When under stress…

Hearing and Vision Sharpen

More blood goes to leg and arms

Heart beats faster and harder

More blood goes to brain

Epinephrine release gives energy boost

Breathing Speeds up

With the release of epinephrine, you get a quick surge of extra energy. As you prepare for “fight-or-flight.” Your mouth may be dry, and you may feel sick. Your muscles may tighten up. You may feel like you are extra powerful. And your vision and hearing may sharpen. These stress responses are short-term changes designed to deal quickly with the stressor.

Short-Term Responses to Stress

The stress response is the same for all stressors. Both positive and negative stressors produce the same response. It is like a power surge. So, when you take action, such as running from danger or giving your speech, you burn off the extra energy. Your body begins to return to normal. You begin to relax. If you have been distressed, you may feel emotionally or mentally tired. If the stress has been positive, you may feel calm and relaxed..

The changes caused by the stress response put your body on high alert. Your body can handle these changes for a short time. However, if the high-alert condition continues for a longer time, it can cause fatigue. Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness.

Lasting Effects of Stress

For example, your body may feel very tired after exercise. This is physical fatigue. Stress can also cause physical fatigue. In both cases, you need rest to allow your body to recover. Stress can also cause mental fatigue. Mental fatigue, like physical fatigue, causes you to feel tired all over all the time. You lose all your energy. Stress-related fatigue—physical or mental—can be relieved by removing or learning to manage the stressor.

When you are distressed continuously, you may also

• have difficulty sleeping or have frequent headaches

• have mental or emotional problems, or cry for no reason

• become depressed, bored, or frustrated• feel tense, irritable, and overwhelmed• have trouble concentrating on schoolwork and

making decisions• overeat without meaning to or lose your appetite In extreme cases, distressed teens have even

attempted suicide. Prolonged distress can be serious

Your distress may affect other people. For example, your distress may hurt your ability to think clearly and to make good decisions. Your bad decisions may hurt other people even if you do not mean to. Relationships with your family may suffer. Or distress may make you angry. You may be mean to people around you. Your friends may become angry with you and avoid you. You may even lose friends because you are distressed. Distress can keep you from concentrating on schoolwork. As a result, your distress may affect your teachers.

Discuss how stress may affect relationships.

Being friendly when you are distressed is difficult. You may not even notice how you are treating other people. So, learn what your stressors are. Know when you are stressed. Then, you can deal with your stress and will cause less damage to your relationships.