STRESS MANAGEMENT ONBOARD – STRATEGY PREVENTION AND MORE

We generally use the word “stress” when we feel that everything seems to have become too much –we are overloaded and wonder whether we really can cope with the pressure placed upon us. Anything that poses a challenge or a threat to our well-being is a stress. Some stress get you going and they are good for you – without any stress at all many say our lives would be boring and would probably feel pointless. However, when the stresses undermine both our mental and physical health they are bad. In this text we shall be focusing on stress that is bad for you.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE:

The way you respond to a challenge may also be a type of stress. Part of your response to a challenge is physiological and affects your physical state.

Our fight – or –flight response is our body’s sympathetic nervous system reacting to a stressful event. Our body produces larger quantities of the chemicals cortisol, adrenaline, which trigger a higher heart rate, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness – all these factors help us protect ourselves in a dangerous or challenging situation.

Non-essential body functions slow down, such as our digestive and immune system when we are in fight or flight response mode. All resources can then be concentrated on rapid breathing. Blood flow, alertness and muscle use.

When we are stresses the following happens: