Stress Flashcards
Stress
a psychological and physiological state of tension in response to a stimulus
Eustress
a form of stress that is positive psychological state
Distress
a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state
Acute stress
Acute stress is a short term stress
Chronic Stress
severe stress that is prolonged for months or years
Stressor
the stimulus that prompts the stress response, it can be internal or external
Internal stressor
stressor is from within a person’s body, it can be psychological or physiological, eg hunger, illness, low self esteem, pessimistic attitude
External stressor
a stimulus from outside a person body, it is environmental, can result from daily pressures or live events, eg exams, financial difficulties, relationship conflicts
Physiological responses
headaches, skin rashes, nausea, heart palpitations, heart attack, cold
Psychological responses
behaviour- changes to sleep and eating habits, emotional- irritability and aggression, cognitive- decreased concentration and memory impairment
Fight flight freeze
activated when faced with a stressor, your body will choose to either confront (fight), run (flight), or remain motionless (freeze), more prominent during acute stress
Cortisol
our stress hormone, it releases glucose to help body repair damage done through stress, and combat stress itself
Enteric nervous system
a branch on the autonomic nervous system, a network of neurons embedded in the walls of the gastrointestinal system.
Involved in processing food, absorbing nutrients and excreting waste
Prolonged stress
can have physiological impacts that harm our health and wellbeing, it does not cause illness but it makes it more likely to occur
Microbiota
living organism inside gut that maintains gut health and functioning