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Danielle Allen
Critical Essay
English 1102-096
May 19, 2016
The Detrimental Effects of Stress
According to google, a common way to define stress is a state of mental or emotional
strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. Having high levels of
stress is known as distress. The term that defines negative stress is called distress. High levels
of stress are detrimental to an individuals body and health which is causing them to have
destructive effects. I will discuss the negative effects of stress on young adult college students.
The term that defines positive stress is called eustress. The five main traits of eustress are
motivating, focusing energy, which is short term, within our coping abilities, feels exciting, and
improves performance (Types of Stressors). A few typical examples of eustress are receiving a
promotion or raise at work, starting a new job, marriage, buying a home, having a child, moving,
retiring, taking a vacation, holiday seasons, and last but not least taking educational classes or
learning a new hobby (Types of Stressors). Everyone will experience positive stress at some
point in their lifetime.
For the most part any kind of stress is bad and harmful to an individuals body. Most
people in their daily lives most likely experience distress which is the negative stress. The
article, Types of Stressors (Eustress Vs. Distress), states, In daily life, we often use the term
stress to describe negative situations. This leads many people to believe that all stress is bad

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for you, which is not true (Types of Stressors). In general, neither eustress or distress is good
for anyone because it has negative effects on the body. The six main traits of distress are as
follow: anxiety or concern, short or long term, not in our coping ability, unpleasant, performance
decreases, having mental or physical problems (Types of Stressors). A few examples of negative
stress are death of a spouse, filing for divorce, injury or illness, hospitalization, losing contact
with loved ones, being abused or neglected, unemployment, separation or conflict with a spouse
or committed relationship partner, legal problems, and sleep problems (Types of Stressors).
There are many more examples of distress but these are the primary examples for negative stress.
Internal events such as feelings and thoughts and habitual behaviors can also cause negative
stress (Types of Stressors). This means that when college students are in a stressful situation
their negative thoughts and behavior can cause them to have a negative effect on their health.
Although some readers may object that stress is good for college students by motivating
them, I would answer that any type of stress whether its eustress or distress is harmful on the
body. A few health problems that are caused by distress are heart disease, pain of any kind, sleep
problems, digestive problems, depression, weight problems, auto immune diseases, and skin
conditions, such as eczema (Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes). Basically, this article is
saying that when college students are having several stressful days any of these health problems
can occur. Not only can these health problems occur but parts of the body are being affected as
well. The American Psychological Association explains, Your stomach can react with
butterflies or even nausea or pain. You may vomit if the stress is severe enough. And, if the
stress becomes chronic, you may develop ulcers or severe stomach pain even without ulcers
(Stress Effects on the Body). In making this comment, the article urges us to be aware that
distress even eustress can have this type of effect on a college student. Stress can affect the

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digestion, and what nutrients your intestines absorb. It can also affect how fast food moves
through your body. You may find that you have either diarrhea or constipation, indicates the
American Psychological Association (Stress Effects on the Body). The point of this statement is
that stress is a deadly contributing factor on how it negatively effects our health. There are other
ways that stress can impact the body but these are the main ways stress impacts the body.
Many people know most of the symptoms of stress but not all of them. In the article
Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes, it breaks the symptoms down into four different
categories. The four categories are cognitive symptoms, emotional symptoms, physical
symptoms, and behavioral symptoms. Some examples of cognitive symptoms are memory
problems, inability to concentrate, poor judgement, seeing only the negative, anxious or racing
thoughts, constant worrying (Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes). A few emotional symptoms
are as follow: moodiness, irritability or short temper, agitation, inability to relax, feeling
overwhelmed, sense of loneliness and isolation, and depression or general unhappiness (Stress
Symptoms, Signs and Causes). Physical symptoms such as aches and pains, diarrhea or
constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, loss of sex drive, and frequent colds
(Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes). Case in point behavioral symptoms eating more or less,
sleeping too much or too little, isolating yourself from others, procrastinating or neglecting
responsibilities, using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, and nervous habits (Stress
Symptoms, Signs and Causes). Basically by naming all of these symptoms is saying there is
more than meets the eye. There are more symptoms than many college students would have ever
guessed that is caused by stress.
I conducted a small survey that had thirteen responses. Most of the people who took the
survey were between the ages of eighteen to twenty-four. Two people who took the survey were

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between the ages of twenty-five to thirty-four. In the survey I asked questions about how stress
effects the body, how well people cope with stress, and how well they manage stress. The results
showed that 6 out of 13 people dont handle stress very well. Also, 6 out of 13 people are being
affected by muscle tension. The results showed that 4 out of 9 people have very high levels of
stress. Most people took time out of their day to have relaxation time. I found the results to be
shocking. I would expect most college students to have very high levels of stress and most of the
students have moderate levels of stress. The results of this survey showed that there could be
more people who have high levels of stress and dont handle stress very well.
A few ways college students can reduce their stress levels is identifying what is causing
their stress, build strong relationships, walking away when angry, rest their mind, and getting
help as stated in how stress affects your health. The American Psychological Association
indicates, If you feel stressed, write down the cause, your thoughts and your mood. Once you
know whats bothering you, develop a plan for addressing it (How Stress Affects Your Health).
The purpose of identifying what is causing your stress is so college students can conquer the
source or problem of the stress so they can live a stress free life. By reaching out to your loved
ones, family members or friends they can be your support system and help college students
overcome a stressful time or situation in their life. Plus, exercise increases the production of
endorphins, your bodys natural mood-booster, states, The American Psychological Association
(How Stress Effects Your Health). When college students give their bodies the necessary
reaction time and physical activity it gives them the opportunity to release the negative energy
from their body. American Psychological Association predicts, According to APAs 2012 Stress
in America survey, stress keeps more than 40 percent of adults lying awake at night. To help
ensure you get the recommended seven or eight hours of shut-eye, cut back on caffeine, remove

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distractions such as television from their bedroom and go to bed at the same time each night
(How Stress Affects Your Health). By taking away the daily distractions and getting the right
amount of sleep each day college students will be able to function in the classroom and be able to
avoid stress by resting their minds. College students need to seek medical attention so they can
live a normal life without their daily lives being affected or interrupted by stress.
As a result, stress is causing college students to have negative effects on their bodies and
affecting their daily lives but, now college students know how to have a better understanding and
a way of coping and dealing with stress. Life is ten percent of what happens to us and ninety
percent of how we react to it, Dennis P. Kimbro. College students need to have the courage and
strength to overcome obstacles in their lives because life is an amazing gift. College students
need to have the coping skills to handle stressful situations in college so they can achieve their
dreams and accomplish their goals of getting their degrees!

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Works Cited
Allen, Danielle. Negative Effects of Stress. Survey. Survey Monkey.com. April 21,2016.
Web. May 5, 2016.
Krantz, David S., Beverly Thron, and Janice Kiecolt-Glaser. "How Stress Affects Your Health."
American Psychological Association: 1-2. Web.
Segal, Jeanne, et al. "Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes." Help Guide Apr. 2016: 1-4. Print.
"Stress." Google. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web.
Tovian, Steve, et al. "Stress Effects on the Body." American Psychological Association: 1-3.
Web.
"Types of Stressors (Eustress Vs. Distress)." Disorders and Issues 30 June 2008: 1-8. Web.