A Different Case of Brainstorming

Weighing four pounds of untold mysteries control every movement, thought, sensation, and emotion responsible for each unique human experience. The anatomy of the brain is a web of complexities that brings about daily normal functioning as well as creative processes and expressions.

However, a lot of medical and psychological studies have revealed that a significant number of people take a trip to the doctor's office due to psychological problems, mostly caused by acute or chronic stress.

We experience stress as a normal process to appraise and cope with emotional threats and challenges. Events and situations become stressors which may be blamed for the uncomfortable effects of stress. Different ways of perceiving a stressor may affect how a person experience stress. It can result to a panic attack or may challenge a person to improve or become better. Normal stress provides protection to the body in times of threat while prolonged stress may cause damage to the body, including the brain.

A stressful situation allows the body to react with an outpouring of hormones, such as adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol. These hormones is responsible with increased heart rate and respiration. They send more blood to skeletal muscles, relieve pain, stimulate the immune system, and turn sugar and fat into energy.

The stress response is the body and mind's normal mechanism for addressing stressors. Most of the time, the response occurs for a limited time to aid the individual in dealing with a specific stress situation before the body returns to a normal, non-stressed state.

However, in some cases, sustained stressors such as abuse, combat, perceived unrealistic pressures, illness, and anger-provoking situations can produce damaging effects on the body and the brain. According to research, a prolonged flood of stress hormones can actually cause shrinking in certain brain areas, particularly in the hippocampus.

And since the hippocampus plays an important role in memory functions, people with prolonged stress tend to be forgetful and have difficulty learning. Reversing the stress response makes certain portions of the hippocampus recover from getting damaged.

Natural calamities, life challenges, conflicts, and a whole lot of other things that trigger a stress reaction are already a part of people's lives. It's learning how to interpret and control these stressors that is crucial in order to make the difference.

Regular exercise not only strengthens the body but also helps reduce the experience of stress, depression, and anxiety. The relationship between exercise and mood have been proven in a number of scientific studies resulting in improved quality of sleep, as well as arousal and relaxation. These conditions help the body recover from the stress response.

The ability to relax through meditation, biofeedback, and a variety of other activities and techniques promotes lower blood pressure, slower respiration, reduced metabolism and muscle tension. These counteract the effects of stress.

Emotional comfort helps reduce stress. Social contacts, friends, family relationships, or even caring for a pet can help in creating emotional trust, support, and relaxation.

Having a positive attitude, confidence, the desire to solve the problems, and the ability to weigh things encourage a cycle of stress response to resolve now and then instead of being sustained.

Practicing a healthy lifestyle promotes a sense of peace and control over one's life. Smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, over-fatigued are often related to stress and anxiety caused by a feeling of being out of control.