Life's Stressful Events and Stress Response

Life’s Stressful Events

Various events in everyone’s lives commonly cause stress. The following list includes some of the most stressful events.

Death of a spouse or partner, Divorce, Separation from spouse or partner, Death of close family member, friend or relative, Personal injury or illness, Marriage, Fired from employment, Marital reconciliation, Retirement.

The Stress Response

From our primitive ancestors we have inherited a remarkable capacity to arouse and energize the brain and the body in the service of superb performance. We can focus our physical and mental resources to respond quickly to a challenge or threat.

The ‘fight or flight’ response produces a chemical compound to activate your system when you are under stress. The adrenal glands produce the hormone adrenalin to stimulate your system, and the pituitary, thyroid and pancreas glands also secrete their own hormones. These chemical reactions can be a source of great strength given the right situation – that is short term defense – encouraging athletes to excel and ordinary people to perform amazing feats. Yet if the stress is long term, the body does not get a chance to detoxify from these chemicals. At the end of stressful situation your body, because of rejuvenating nature, should return to its normal, relaxed or healing state.

The physical characteristics of the ‘fight or flight’ response may not be appropriate in many modern-day situations, for example, in an argument with the boss or in middle of a traffic jam. The increase in adrenalin level, heart rate or blood pressure, have nowhere to go, and we are left flaming. Over time, these reactions build up, and one day there may come the straw that breaks the camel’s back. With frequent excitation and thwarting of natural instinct, blood pressure and heart rate do not return to normal and one is left with hypertension or high blood pressure or some other disease.

Also, the production of cortisone hormone becomes a threat. Cortisone lessens the immune system’s response so that the body can receive more energy. Medical experts estimate that 50-70 percent of all diseases are at least partially caused by stress. It would therefore seem a matter of survival that you learn how to control and manage your stress.