essay about daily stress

Stress and Its Effects on Health Essay

Introduction, physical effects, psychological effects, behavioral effects.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. The challenging or compelling situations are termed stressors. Stressors can be internal or external and include life changes such as losing a significant figure, low socioeconomic status, relationship problems, occupational challenges, and familial or environmental factors. An individual’s response to stressors influences the outcome of their life. Health is a state of complete social, emotional, and physical well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Stress is a common risk factor for negative health status secondary to negative adaptation and coping with the stressors. Stressors can create a strain on one’s physical, psychological and behavioral well-being, leading to lasting effects that are detrimental to one’s health.

Stress is associated with various physical health impacts on an individual. In an online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020) to determine the association between stress and the physical and psychological health of police officers, the findings illustrate that stress negatively impacts physical and psychological well-being. One hundred and thirty-four police officers were involved in the study (Keech et al., 2020). The findings demonstrate that stress resulted in various short and long-term physical effects that included increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. In addition, stress resulted in the development of gastrointestinal disorders such as peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome. Keech et al. (2020) note that stress’s associated physical health effects are explained by various mechanisms that include overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system results in increased sympathetic actions on the peripheral body organs leading to increased sweat production, heart rate, respiration rate, and urinary and bowel elimination. The study notes that chronic stress without positive adaptation measures results in the progressive development of hypertension, peptic ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome as long-term effects (Keech et al., 2020). Within the gastrointestinal tract, chronic stress activity on the sympathetic nervous system results in increased parietal cell action. Overactivity of the parietal cells results in excessive gastric acid production, gradually eroding the mucosa, and ulceration occurs.

The effects of stress on the cardiovascular system are explained in a review by Kivimäki & Steptoe (2017) to determine the impact of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. In the review, stress is identified to cause cardiovascular conditions secondary to the effects of sustained sympathetic action on heart contractility and peripheral vascular resistance (Kivimäki & Steptoe, 2017). The sympathetic nervous system contributes to normal heart and blood vessel contractility. However, when the system is overstimulated, a surge in contractility above the normal limits ensues, leading to the progressive development of heart conditions.

Psychological well-being incorporates a positive mental health status evidenced by an individual’s satisfaction with life, happiness, rational thinking and decision-making, and positive mood patterns. Stress has been associated with alterations in an individual’s psychological wellness. An explanation for alteration in an individual’s psychological well-being secondary to stress is negative adaptation. Keech et al. (2020) note that an individual’s response to a stressor determines whether stress results in positive or negative effects. In the online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020), the findings illustrate that pressure resulted in the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders as long-term effects among the participants. Exposure to stressful situations resulted in progressively developing anxiety among the individual secondary to persistent worry over the issue. The anxiety results in other physical manifestations, including increased heart rate, palpitations, sweating, and altered mobility. Depression and bipolar conditions were also associated with chronic stress secondary to the impacts of stress on neurotransmitter function and nerves.

Similar findings are noted in a cross-sectional study by Zhang et al. (2020) to compare the prevalence and severity of stress-associated mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. Five hundred and twenty-four healthcare workers were involved in the study. The study findings illustrate that 31.3% of the participants developed depression secondary to the stressful working environment, 41.2% reported anxiety, and 39.3% reported sleep disturbances (Zhang et al., 2020). The scientific explanation for the relationship between stress and depression was attributed to the effects of stressful periods on neurotransmitter homeostasis. Chronic stress results in the altered regulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Alterations in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine resulted in the progressive development of depression and anxiety. Sleep disturbances reported by the participants are attributed to alterations in cortisol hormone homeostasis secondary to overstimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Stressful situations can also lead to alterations in the behavioral patterns of an individual. The most common behavioral effects secondary to stress include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and drug abuse especially alcohol. Alterations in sleep and eating patterns are linked to stress’s effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA). Exposure to stressful events leads to increased activation of the HPA axis with a net effect of increased catecholamine production (adrenaline and noradrenaline) (Moustafa et al., 2018). Increased adrenaline and noradrenaline production results in dysregulation in the eating and sleeping patterns. Sustained high levels of cortisol results in difficulty falling asleep and increased metabolic processes. The biological clock regulates the typical sleeping pattern that relies on producing the sleep hormone melatonin. Melatonin production by the pineal gland is regulated indirectly by the concentration of serum cortisol levels and directly by light perception. Imbalances in the serum concentration cycle secondary to stress results in imbalanced melatonin production and concentration with a net effect of sleeping difficulties.

The emotional strain caused by stress increases the risk of alcohol and other illicit drug use and dependence. Moustafa et al. (2018) conducted an integrative literature review to determine the relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse. The review findings illustrate that stress increases the risk of alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse among the victims. An explanation for the increased risk is the individuals’ lack of identification and implementation of effective coping strategies (Moustafa et al., 2018). Lack of effective coping strategies results in maladaptive measures such as illicit drug use and alcohol consumption. Extensive use of the maladaptive measures results in progressive addiction and drug abuse among individuals with an increased predisposition to other health effects. Alcohol consumption and other illicit drug use over time increase the risk of developing cardiac, respiratory, and liver conditions.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. Individual response to stressors influences their health. Maladaptive response to stress results in various physical, psychological, and behavioral negative effects. Negative effects of stress on physical health include increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. Psychological effects include the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders. The behavioral effects of stress on an individual include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Based on the research findings, it is essential for healthcare providers to identify strategic measures and health initiatives to educate and sensitize the community members on effective stress management approaches in all settings to aid in combating the health effects.

Keech, J. J., Cole, K. L., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2020). The association between stress mindset and physical and psychological well being: Testing a stress beliefs model in police officers . Psychology & Health , 35 (11), 1306-1325. Web.

Kivimäki, M., & Steptoe, A. (2017). Effects of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease . Nature Reviews Cardiology , 15 (4), 215–229. Web.

Moustafa, A. A., Parkes, D., Fitzgerald, L., Underhill, D., Garami, J., Levy-Gigi, E., Stramecki, F., Valikhani, A., Frydecka, D., & Misiak, B. (2018). The relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, and alcohol and drug use, abuse, and addiction: An integrative review . Current Psychology , 40 (2), 579–584. Web.

Zhang, X., Zhao, K., Zhang, G., Feng, R., Chen, J., Xu, D., Liu, X., Ngoubene-Italy, A. J., Huang, H., Liu, Y., Chen, L., & Wang, W. (2020). Occupational Stress and Mental Health: A comparison between frontline medical staff and non-frontline medical staff during the 2019 novel Coronavirus Disease outbreak . Frontiers in Psychiatry , 11 . Web.

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Essays About Stress: 5 Examples and 7 Helpful Prompts

Stress deals with various sensitive matters and is a popular topic. See our top examples of essays about stress and prompts to assist in your writing.

Stress is a poison that gradually affects a person’s mental and physical health. It’s a common problem in all aspects of life, with money being the top stressor. There’s also a spectrum of stress, but chronic stress is the most dangerous of all types and levels. It can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, anxiety disorders, heart disease, and more.

5 Essay Examples 

1. post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 2. coping up with stress by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 3. stress management: how stress can cause mental illness and how to treat it by anonymous on papersowl.com, 4. assessing the personal stress levels by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 5. sources of stress in youths by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 1. what is stress, 2. good stress vs. bad stress, 3. how stress can affect our daily lives, 4. the impact of stress on children, 5. what is financial stress, 6. the importance of stress management, 7. stress and health problems.

“…the self-medication hypothesis… is supportive to healthcare as it offers a clear pathway to sufferers from existing addiction, which, in turn, enhances the bond between specialists and victims, it improves access to dosages, and it may also decrease the cost of a prescribed drug.”

In this essay, the writer investigates the leading causes of stress and substance abuse resulting from a disorder. They note that stress, anxiety, and depression often develop after divorce, widowhood, disasters, and other traumatic events. 

To show the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use, the author adds statistics and situations in which people who have gone through a separation or sexual abuse utilize self-medication, drugs, and alcohol to forget what happened to them. However, this brief escapes lead to addiction. Ultimately, the writer believes that developing stress, anxiety, and depression coping alternatives will reduce the number of people addicted to substances.

Do you want to write about depression? Check out our guide on how to write essays about depression .

“Stress coping and management is essential to have a healthy life. We need to manage stress effectively to avoid the side effects that can arise if not managed effectively. Let’s prioritize on our tasks, manage a healthy lifestyle, have time for fun and for one another, and practice the 4A’s of stress management to have a stress free life.”

This essay shares that stress can be beneficial as it teaches a person to handle difficult situations. However, stress becomes dangerous when it starts to control someone’s life. That’s why it’s vital to manage stress depending on its severity. 

To effectively cope with stress, the author suggests having a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and writing in journals. They also mention the importance of talking to a professional and identifying and avoiding the primary source of stress. 

“When people get stressed out, they try many coping mechanisms, and that usually helps a decent amount, however for some, the stress can be too overwhelming. That being said, stress is seen to have a very significant link to mental illness, more specifically, schizophrenia.”

In this essay, the author contends that stress is the root cause of some mental illnesses like schizophrenia. To support the claim, the author uses a real-life situation and shows the development of the disease, originating from the simple stress of moving and working in the city. 

The essay presents the different levels of schizophrenia and its symptoms. Then, after offering various sources, the author concludes that the most common way to treat stress and schizophrenia is having someone to spend time with and get therapy. You might also be interested in these essays about leadership .

“… A proper assessment of an individual’s stress levels is a critical factor in their well-being. Physiological and psychological aspects of intense pressure should be carefully studied and checked. Using corresponding methods and tools can be of significant help for the person, providing them with a clear understanding of the problems encountered.”

In this essay, the author discusses tools that help assess stress levels and effective strategies for combating stress. They use the “Symptoms of Stress Methodology” from Stress Management for Life: A Research-Based Experiential Approach and the “Ardell Wellness Stress Test” to determine stress levels and evaluate physiological symptoms. These symptoms assist in constructing effective ways to release stress, including participating in PTSD therapies and getting a service dog.

“Early exposure to stress not only affects children’s social and mental development during their formative years, it also can increase the risk of alcoholism, illicit drug use, adult depression, anxiety, and even heart disease much later in life.”

In this essay, the writer proves that stress can affect people of all ages and genders. However, the author focuses on young people and how quickly it appears in their adult life. According to the author, technostress, the fear of missing out, lack of personal space, and high expectations are the common causes of stress in youths. 

The author strongly discourages using drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol to relieve stress. Instead, they recommend reducing stress by taking regular breaks, replacing big life goals with smaller, more attainable goals, being open and sharing problems with others, and getting professional help.

7 Writing Prompts for Essays About Stress

Stress is a person’s emotional response to pressure to meet standards, commitments, and responsibilities. It usually occurs in a situation or an outcome we fail to manage or control. In your essay, explain what stress is all about and why it’s essential to understand this reaction. Use this prompt to help your readers know the early signs of stress. Then, add ways stress can be managed and avoided, so it doesn’t interfere with daily activities.

Although stress is often connected with bad instances, there’s also “good stress,” or eustress. Eustress pertains to a positive response to a stressor. For example, it happens when one is excited or ecstatic. Meanwhile, bad stress, or “distress,” negatively affects your mental and physical well-being. 

Consider using this prompt to compare and contrast the good and bad stress that people usually experience. Then, give real-life examples and suggest how your readers can effectively handle both eustress and distress.

The effects of stress vary in degree and duration. For example, stress can prevent us from functioning properly at work, home, or anywhere else. It can also affect our relationships with others and with ourselves.

To make your essay relatable, share a personal experience on how stress affects your life. You can also interview others in various professions and statuses to demonstrate the range of which stress affects different individuals.

Stress does not only occur among adults or teenagers. Children can also experience stress at a young age. For instance, a child can succumb to the pressure of adapting to a new environment, getting bullied, and sometimes being separated from loved ones. These can lead to anxiety, trust issues, and depression.

Identify and discuss these factors and why it affects young children. Include recent statistics that show the number of children experiencing stress and additional relevant citations to make your essay credible.

The most recent survey found that 65% of Americans worry about money and the economy’s decline. Pick this prompt to make your essay relevant and informative. Delve into what financial stress is and discuss its typical causes and effects. Then, add the latest percentage of people who experience financial stress and address why it’s a pressing issue.

Stress management offers various strategies to battle stress. First, explain to your readers the importance and effectiveness of proper stress management. Then, include proven and tested methods commonly used to treat stress. You can also share the strategies that have worked for you to persuade your readers that stress management is effective.

Stress causes several physical and mental health problems. Use this prompt to show the importance of treating stress before it worsens and affects a person’s welfare. Include research findings from reliable sources and real-life experiences where someone has damaged their health because of stress. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our essays about bullying topic guide !

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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What Is Stress?

Your Body's Response to a Situation That Requires Attention or Action

Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

• Identifying
• Next in How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide How to Recognize Burnout Symptoms

Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical , emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action. 

Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being.

Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin

Sometimes, the best way to manage your stress involves changing your situation. At other times, the best strategy involves changing the way you respond to the situation.

Developing a clear understanding of how stress impacts your physical and mental health is important. It's also important to recognize how your mental and physical health affects your stress level.

Watch Now: 5 Ways Stress Can Cause Weight Gain

Signs of stress.

Stress can be short-term or long-term. Both can lead to a variety of symptoms, but chronic stress can take a serious toll on the body over time and have long-lasting health effects.

Some common signs of stress include:

• Changes in mood
• Clammy or sweaty palms
• Decreased sex drive
• Difficulty sleeping
• Digestive problems
• Feeling anxious
• Frequent sickness
• Grinding teeth
• Muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders
• Physical aches and pains
• Racing heartbeat

Identifying Stress

What does stress feel like? What does stress feel like? It often contributes to irritability, fear, overwork, and frustration. You may feel physically exhausted, worn out, and unable to cope.

Stress is not always easy to recognize, but there are some ways to identify some signs that you might be experiencing too much pressure. Sometimes stress can come from an obvious source, but sometimes even small daily stresses from work, school, family, and friends can take a toll on your mind and body.

If you think stress might be affecting you, there are a few things you can watch for:

• Psychological signs such as difficulty concentrating, worrying, anxiety, and trouble remembering
• Emotional signs such as being angry, irritated, moody, or frustrated
• Physical signs such as high blood pressure, changes in weight, frequent colds or infections, and changes in the menstrual cycle and libido
• Behavioral signs such as poor self-care, not having time for the things you enjoy, or relying on drugs and alcohol to cope

Stress vs. Anxiety

Stress can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, and experiencing a great deal of stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Experiencing anxiety can make it more difficult to cope with stress and may contribute to other health issues, including increased depression, susceptibility to illness, and digestive problems.

Stress and anxiety contribute to nervousness, poor sleep, high blood pressure , muscle tension, and excess worry. In most cases, stress is caused by external events, while anxiety is caused by your internal reaction to stress. Stress may go away once the threat or the situation resolves, whereas anxiety may persist even after the original stressor is gone.

Causes of Stress

There are many different things in life that can cause stress. Some of the main sources of stress include work, finances, relationships, parenting, and day-to-day inconveniences.

Stress can trigger the body’s response to a perceived threat or danger, known as the fight-or-flight response .   During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This speeds the heart rate, slows digestion, shunts blood flow to major muscle groups, and changes various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength.

Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, the fight-or-flight response is now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate—like in traffic or during a stressful day at work.

When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response .   But in cases of chronic stress, the relaxation response doesn't occur often enough, and being in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight can cause damage to the body.

Stress can also lead to some unhealthy habits that have a negative impact on your health. For example, many people cope with stress by eating too much or by smoking. These unhealthy habits damage the body and create bigger problems in the long-term.  

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

On May 19, 2022, Verywell Mind hosted a virtual Mental Health in the Workplace webinar, hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW. If you missed it, check out  this recap  to learn ways to foster supportive work environments and helpful strategies to improve your well-being on the job.

Types of Stress

Not all types of stress are harmful or even negative. Some of the different types of stress that you might experience include:

• Acute stress : Acute stress is a very short-term type of stress that can either be positive or more distressing; this is the type of stress we most often encounter in day-to-day life.
• Chronic stress : Chronic stress is stress that seems never-ending and inescapable, like the stress of a bad marriage or an extremely taxing job; chronic stress can also stem from traumatic experiences and childhood trauma.
• Episodic acute stress : Episodic acute stress is acute stress that seems to run rampant and be a way of life, creating a life of ongoing distress.
• Eustress : Eustress is fun and exciting. It's known as a positive type of stress that can keep you energized. It's associated with surges of adrenaline, such as when you are skiing or racing to meet a deadline. 

4 Main Types of Stress:

The main harmful types of stress are acute stress, chronic stress, and episodic acute stress. Acute stress is usually brief, chronic stress is prolonged, and episodic acute stress is short-term but frequent. Positive stress, known as eustress, can be fun and exciting, but it can also take a toll.

Impact of Stress

Stress can have several effects on your health and well-being. It can make it more challenging to deal with life's daily hassles, affect your interpersonal relationships, and have detrimental effects on your health. The connection between your mind and body is apparent when you examine stress's impact on your life.

Feeling stressed over a relationship, money, or living situation can create physical health issues. The inverse is also true. Health problems, whether you're dealing with high blood pressure or diabetes , will also affect your stress level and mental health. When your brain experiences high degrees of stress , your body reacts accordingly.

Serious acute stress, like being involved in a natural disaster or getting into a verbal altercation, can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and even sudden death. However, this happens mostly in individuals who already have heart disease.

Stress also takes an emotional toll. While some stress may produce feelings of mild anxiety or frustration, prolonged stress can also lead to burnout , anxiety disorders , and depression.

Chronic stress can have a serious impact on your health as well. If you experience chronic stress, your autonomic nervous system will be overactive, which is likely to damage your body.

Stress-Influenced Conditions

• Heart disease
• Hyperthyroidism
• Sexual dysfunction
• Tooth and gum disease

Treatments for Stress

Stress is not a distinct medical diagnosis and there is no single, specific treatment for it. Treatment for stress focuses on changing the situation, developing stress coping skills , implementing relaxation techniques, and treating symptoms or conditions that may have been caused by chronic stress.

Some interventions that may be helpful include therapy, medication, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Press Play for Advice On Managing Stress

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast featuring professor Elissa Epel, shares ways to manage stress. Click below to listen now.

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Psychotherapy

Some forms of therapy that may be particularly helpful in addressing symptoms of stress including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) . CBT focuses on helping people identify and change negative thinking patterns, while MBSR utilizes meditation and mindfulness to help reduce stress levels.

Medication may sometimes be prescribed to address some specific symptoms that are related to stress. Such medications may include sleep aids, antacids, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Some complementary approaches that may also be helpful for reducing stress include acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, yoga, and meditation .

Coping With Stress

Although stress is inevitable, it can be manageable. When you understand the toll it takes on you and the steps to combat stress, you can take charge of your health and reduce the impact stress has on your life.

• Learn to recognize the signs of burnout. High levels of stress may place you at a high risk of burnout. Burnout can leave you feeling exhausted and apathetic about your job.   When you start to feel symptoms of emotional exhaustion, it's a sign that you need to find a way to get a handle on your stress.
• Try to get regular exercise. Physical activity has a big impact on your brain and your body . Whether you enjoy Tai Chi or you want to begin jogging, exercise reduces stress and improves many symptoms associated with mental illness.  
• Take care of yourself. Incorporating regular self-care activities into your daily life is essential to stress management. Learn how to take care of your mind, body, and spirit and discover how to equip yourself to live your best life.  
• Practice mindfulness in your life. Mindfulness isn't just something you practice for 10 minutes each day. It can also be a way of life. Discover how to live more mindfully throughout your day so you can become more awake and conscious throughout your life.  

If you or a loved one are struggling with stress, contact the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline  at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our  National Helpline Database .

Cleveland Clinic. Stress .

National institute of Mental Health. I'm so stressed out! Fact sheet .

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Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al. Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization [published correction appears in PLoS One . 2017 Feb 21;12 (2):e0172874].  PLoS One . 2015;10(10):e0140212. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212

American Heart Association. Stress and Heart Health.

Chi JS, Kloner RA. Stress and myocardial infarction .  Heart . 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475

Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM. Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies .  PLoS One . 2017;12(10):e0185781. Published 2017 Oct 4. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185781

Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ 2nd. Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students .  Ment Illn . 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549

Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC. U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life .  BMC Med Educ . 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x

Richards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL. Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness .  J Ment Health Couns . 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.

American Psychological Association. 2015 Stress in America .

Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.  Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms .  In R. Allan & J. Fisher,  Heart and mind: The practice of cardiac psychology. American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004

By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

How to Deal With Stress in Everyday Life

Here are some practical and simple tips..

Posted March 30, 2021 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• Self-compassion and self-care are very important but frequently forgotten during difficult times.
• Practicing gratitude helps with mental uplifting.
• As little as several minutes of exercising and meditating in the morning will help in getting through the day.

Times are difficult now, no doubt about it. We have no influence over the course of the pandemic other than protecting ourselves and others by following the official guidance (vaccination, masks, social distancing). But it is totally up to us how we react to these difficult and frustrating situations. I love what Rev. Devon Franklin once said: “Every day above ground is a great day.” I have to remind myself about it frequently when I feel overwhelmed.

Our lives have changed forever. We are very lucky if we did not get sick with COVID and did not lose loved ones, relatives, or friends, jobs, income, or housing. Everything seems to take more time than before the pandemic, and it is difficult to be cool and keep our internal peace. However, there are small things that you can do every day to keep your spirits up. First of all, be good to yourself, because if you don’t, who will?

How to Start a Day

It is good to start a day with something nice, like a cup of warm, good coffee with real honey from a neighborhood’s beekeeper. It tastes just great! Take time for yourself in the morning. Do something nice for yourself.

Find out what will bring a smile to your face at the beginning of your day. If you live in a mild climate, drink your warm coffee outside and look at the beautiful nature around you. If it is too cold to be outside, sit by the window that has your favorite view. For me, it is a view of my garden, still surviving in the winter, but it can be anything that brings some peace and joy to your heart.

For example, look at the picture above, which I took in my garden last fall. A honey bee on a cosmos flower. It just provides a “cheering up” moment and a reminder that warm and sunny days will come again soon.

If your energy is low during the day, and you feel like it takes an extra effort to get started on anything, try to do some exercising in the morning. It can be as little as 10-15 minutes. It will give you the energy you need to go through the day. It will also lift up your mood by pumping the “feel-good” neurotransmitters in your brain.

Have a good and nutritious breakfast to nourish your body. If you have time, do some meditation to calm your mind and to relax your body.

You can also have a little walk after breakfast. Walking is very good for your brain (more info on that subject is in my book, How My Brain Works ). Now you are ready to face the tasks for that day. Energized and calm internally, it will be easier to complete these tasks than you previously thought.

If something during the day upsets you a lot and starts interfering with your tasks, take a moment to ponder if it will be important five years from now. If not, try to put it in the back of your mind. In my book, I give examples of some mental exercises that help deal with disturbing thoughts. If something will be important five years from now, try to find out how you can get help with it.

If you are depressed and very anxious , please try to find professional help. All insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare, are paying for online and telephone counseling. Use these services to help yourself.

At the end of the day, take a moment to think about all the good things that happened during the day, even the smallest one (i.e., the sun came up for a moment in the middle of a day), and be grateful for them. When you prepare to go to sleep, concentrate on the small, positive things that happened. If you had a very difficult day, remind yourself of what Scarlet O’Hara said, “Tomorrow is another day, Scarlet.”

Copyright by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin

Barbara Koltuska-Haskin, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the author of How My Brain Works.

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What Is Stress and How Can I Recognize It?

Risk factors.

• Health Consequences
• When to Seek Help

Stress is your body's natural response to physical and psychological challenges or threats. During moments of stress, the body releases two hormones called epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol that trigger a chain of events to help you better cope with stressful situations.

Stress can be a positive thing, helping you overcome obstacles and push yourself to new levels of personal growth.

But when stress is persistent, it can be damaging to your health, reducing your immune response, increasing your risk of certain infections, raising your blood pressure and risk of heart disease, and sapping your concentration, energy levels, and overall sense of well-being.

The article describes the different types of stress and how they impact you physically and emotionally. It also looks at some of the complications of stress and ways to reduce stress if it is affecting your health and quality of life.

Illustration by Laura Porter for Verywell Health

Types of Stress

Stress can be short-lasting, long-lasting, or come and go. While stress is often considered "bad" and something you need to manage, it can be beneficial in certain situations.

Stress can be broadly described as:

• Acute stress : This is stress that comes on abruptly and resolves once the perceived or actual threat is resolved. Acute stress can occur when faced with a traumatic situation but can also be something that gradually builds over time and suddenly comes to a head.
• Chronic stress : This is stress that is persistent or recurrent. It can be triggered by ongoing emotional distress or an illness or medical condition that you are managing. If left unchecked, chronic stress can have serious health consequences.
• Episodic acute stress : This is when someone experiences intense stress on a routine basis. It is common in people who face high-stress situations, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and soldiers on wartime duty.
• Eustress : This is the term for beneficial stress. Eustress is associated with excitement or motivation, such as riding a rollercoaster or starting a new job. Once the immediate stress eases, there is often a feeling of accomplishment.

Signs of Stress

Stress is regulated by the autonomic nervous system . This is a part of the nervous system that oversees involuntary functions like heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and digestion. During moments of extreme stress, it also triggers the "fight-or-flight" response.

The fight-or-flight response is characterized by the spontaneous release of epinephrine and cortisol. These hormones trigger physiological and psychological changes to prepare you to either face or flee from the threat, whether real or perceived.

It does so by temporarily redirecting the body's resources—like blood, oxygen, and glucose (blood sugar)—away from non-essential organs (like the stomach, intestines, and bladder) to essential ones (like the muscles and eyes). These changes are responsible for the functional signs of stress.

Common signs of stress include:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Rapid breathing
• Muscle tension
• Flush or pale skin
• Dilated pupils
• Agitation or feeling on edge
• Trembling or shaking
• Sudden sweating (including sweaty palms)
• Queasy stomach
• Weak bladder or a sudden urge to pee

Once the threat is gone, the body will release other hormones, such as oxytocin , to bring epinephrine and cortisol back in check.

Symptoms of Too Much Stress

If stress is chronic, it can lead to a broader range of potentially disruptive symptoms. This is because the overload of cortisol and epinephrine can not only amplify the physiological symptoms of stress but also start to affect the brain, triggering psychological symptoms.

Symptoms of chronic stress may include:

• A pounding headache
• Heart palpitations
• Chest pains
• Muscle spasms and cramps
• Back and shoulder pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Forgetfulness
• Loss of concentration
• Daytime sleepiness
• Disorganized or racing thoughts
• Emotional outbursts
• Panicky feelings
• Ringing in the ears
• Numbness in the fingers and toes
• Changes in appetite (eating too much or not at all)
• Depression and anxiety

Many of these symptoms can also occur when acute stress is severe, such as during a panic attack . Sometimes, the symptoms come on so quickly and profoundly that it may seem like you're having a heart attack .

It is also possible to get a "stress rash" when the body is spontaneously flooded with cortisol and epinephrine. This can trigger an inflammatory reaction and the release of a chemical called histamine that instigates allergic reactions, In some people with extreme stress, this can lead to itching and hives ( urticaria ).

Causes of Stress

The body's stress response system is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) . When faced with a stressor (a situation that causes stress), a part of the brain called the  hypothalamus sends a chemical message to the pituitary gland which, in turn, instructs the  adrenal glands to start secreting cortisol and epinephrine.

There are two broad categories of stressors: physiological stressors and psychological stressors.

Physiological and psychological stressors can also overlap. For instance, a physiological stressor such as a chronic illness can cause psychological stress, further amplifying symptoms.

Examples of stressors include;

Extreme temperatures

Strenuous physical activity

Injury or pain

Chronic illness

Acute infections

Being overworked

A noisy or chaotic environment

Relationship problems

Financial problems

Trouble at work or school

Loss and grief

Worry about the future

Heavy traffic

We are all wired to feel stress, but certain factors can predispose you to unhealthy levels of stress, including:

• Being over 50
• Being a caregiver to an ill family member
• Living with depression
• Being raised in a stressful family environment
• Being a victim of crime or abuse
• Living in a high-crime neighborhood
• Living with chronic illness
• Living in poverty
• Having financial problems
• Being socially isolated
• Have an alcohol or substance abuse problem

Related Conditions and Complications

The long-term effects of uncontrolled stress can take a toll on your health. Chronic stress is characterized by sustained high blood pressure , which not only affects your heart but all other organs connected to the circulatory system.

Chronic stress can also affect your sense of well-being, which also has health consequences.

Over time, uncontrolled stress can contribute to:

• Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
• Coronary artery disease (which increases the risk of heart attack or stroke)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stomach ulcers
• Major depression
• Anxiety disorders

Is Stress a Mental Illness?

Stress is not a mental illness, but it can contribute to mental illness. Persistently high levels of cortisone—referred to as hyperadrenocorticism —have been independently linked to an increased risk of anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder , and major depressive disorder (MDD) .

Treatments and Ways to Cope With Stress

Managing stress is key to avoiding long-term health problems. Depending on your levels of stress and general coping skills, you may be able to manage on your own. In other instances, you may benefit from working with a healthcare provider or mental health specialist.

You can’t always avoid stress, but you can manage it by making healthy lifestyle choices, including:

• Exercising regularly : Exercise not only makes you feel better but also boosts "feel-good" hormones called endorphins . Just 30 minutes of walking per day can lift your spirits and improve your cardiovascular health.
• Setting goals : Establish what you intend to achieve for your day, week, and month. Setting priorities will help you feel more in control.
• Being practical : Be realistic about what you can achieve. While stress can be beneficial within limits, overtaxing yourself can undermine your health. Focus on what is truly important to you and adjust your goals to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Staying positive : At the end of a stressful day, don't just drop into bed and try to forget about it. Take a moment to think about what you’ve accomplished and not what you didn’t get done.
• Staying connected : Keep in touch with people who can provide emotional support and practical help. Ask for help from friends, family, and community or religious organizations if you are feeling overtaxed and stressed.

Mind-Body Therapies

There are many stress management tools you can turn to if you live a hectic lifestyle. Many of these approaches are endorsed by healthcare providers who understand how the mind influences the body and your overall health.

Some effective mind-body therapies for stress include:

• Deep breathing exercises
• Guided imagery
• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
• Biofeedback

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) involves working with a therapist who can help you identify your sources of stress so you can better manage them. Although therapy is typically done in person, you can also have online sessions with a therapist who can see you regularly.

Different approaches may help depending on the source of your stress:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) : This involves identifying problematic behaviors or thought patterns so you can build strategies to change them.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) : This is a form of therapy intended for people who experience emotions very intensely.
• Family therapy
• Couples therapy

Prescription Medications

Sometimes medications are needed to help you through a stressful time. In such cases, you would need to get a prescription from your healthcare provider or a psychiatrist (rather than a therapist who cannot prescribe medications).

Some medications commonly prescribed for stress and anxiety include:

• Benzodiazepines : These are sedatives that include Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam).
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) : These are antidepressants that include Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and Lexapro (escitalopram).
• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) : These are antidepressants that include Effexor (venlafaxine), Cymbalta (duloxetine), and Pristiq (desvenlafaxine).
• Tricyclic antidepressants : These are a class of antidepressants that include Elavil (amitriptyline), Norpramin (desipramine), and Sinequan (doxepin).

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

It can be easy to miss the signs of stress, particularly if you live a hectic lifestyle or are managing a heavy workload at work. Even so, it's important to notice the signs and take appropriate action if stress is interfering with your relationships, health, quality of life, and ability to function normally.

It may be time to see if a therapist or healthcare provider if:

• You find yourself having regular outbursts for little or no reason.
• You have trouble sleeping and are sleep-deprived .
• You have gained a lot of weight because you are stress eating.
• You have lost a lot of weight because you are too stressed to eat .
• You are drinking, smoking, or taking drugs to deal with stress.
• You find it hard to get out of bed and feel persistently on the verge of tears.
• You have panic attacks .

Stress is a natural response to physiological or psychological threats or challenges. Stress can be beneficial, helping push you to achieve more, but it can affect your health if it is extreme or chronic. Left untreated, chronic stress can contribute to heart disease, mood disorders, stomach ulcers, and diabetes.

The best way to manage stress is to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle and practice relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises. Psychotherapy and prescription medications (like antidepressants) can help if self-help treatments are not enough.

Centre for Studies of Human Stress. Biology of stress .

Romano A, Tempesta B, Di Bonaventura MVM, Gaetani S.  From autism to eating disorders and more: the role of oxytocin in neuropsychiatric disorders . Front Neurosci. 2015;9:497. doi:10.3389/fnins.2015.00497

Yarikbeygi H, Panahi Y, Sahreai H, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The impact of stress on body function: s review . EXCLI J.  2017;16:1057–1072. doi:10.17179/excli2017-480

National Institute of Mental Health.  Panic disorder: when fear overwhelms .

Konstantinou GN, Konstantinou GN.  Psychological stress and chronic urticaria: a neuro-immuno-cutaneous crosstalk. A systematic review of the existing evidence .  Clin Therapeutics . 2020;42(5):771-782. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2020.03.010

Oyola MG, Handa RJ.  Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity .  Stress . 2017;20(5):476-494. doi:10.1080/10253890.2017.1369523

James KA, Stromin JI, Steenkamp N, Combrinck MI. Understanding the relationships between physiological and psychosocial stress, cortisol and cognition . Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023;14:1085950. doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1085950

American Psychological Association. Stress in America: our health at risk .

Mariotta A. The effects of chronic stress on health: new insights into the molecular mechanisms of brain–body communication . Future Sci OA. 2015 Nov;1(3):FSO23. doi:10.4155/fso.15.21

Lin TY, Hanna J, Ishak WW. Psychiatric symptoms in Cushing’s syndrome: a systematic review . Innov Clin Neurosci. 2020 Jan 1;17(1-3):30–35.

Ramirez-Garcia MP, Gagnon MP, Colson S, Cote J, Flores-Aranda J, Dupont M. Mind-body practices for people living with HIV: a systematic scoping review . BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19:25. doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2502-z

American Psychological Association.  Psychotherapy .

National Institute of Mental Health.  Anxiety disorders .

National Institute of Mental Health. 5 things you should know about stress .

By Michelle Pugle Pulge is a freelance health writer focused on mental health content. She is certified in mental health first aid.

Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Stress — Stress and Its Role in Our Life

Stress and Its Role in Our Life

• Categories: Stress Stress Management Trauma

About this sample

Words: 2555 |

13 min read

Published: May 7, 2019

Words: 2555 | Pages: 6 | 13 min read

Works Cited

• American Psychological Association. (2019). Stress effects on the body. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Coping with stress. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
• Hansen, N. (2014). The impact of stress on the immune system. Immunology, 144(2), 147-156.
• Knowlton, S. (n.d.). The positive effects of stress on the body. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/104523-positive-effects-stress-body/
• McLeod, S. (2010). Stress and the immune system. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-immune.html
• Mills, N. (n.d.). Mental effects of stress. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-effects-on-the-body-4124300
• Segal, J. (2016). Understanding stress. HelpGuide. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm
• Simon, H. (2016). How stress affects your body. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
• Stages of chronic stress. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://extension.illinois.edu/stress/stages.cfm
• Top ten causes of stress. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.stress.org/top-ten-causes-of-stress

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Stress? It matters what you think.

By Michael R. Malone [email protected] 04-25-2024

You’re striding to the podium, heart pounding, hyper-aware, about to give that commencement address in front of a packed room. Are you “energized” and “excited,” ready to meet the challenge? Or are you “nervous” and “anxious,” wilting under the pressure?

Stress is the body and brain’s response to change, challenge, or demand. It’s inevitable, and everyone experiences it. Though not in the same way. 

“Stress can be regarded as a matter-of-fact statement of a pressure or tension being exerted on an object. In this respect, the term is descriptive and neither positive nor negative,” explained Scott Rogers , a University of Miami School of Law professor and longtime advocate for mindfulness practice. Tea, coffee, cortisol, the psychic pressure of a looming deadline, and trying to find where a puzzle piece belongs, can all be viewed as stressors, he added.

Given this neutrality, psychologists use the Yerkes-Dodson Law to plot the relationship between stress and performance, Rogers noted. The plot depicts an inverted U such that with little stress, performance is low while as stress grows, performance improves to a point where it is optimal. But too much stress becomes detrimental to performance.

“The optimal state emerges when we have the capacity to meet the stressor. Stress that is useful is known as ‘eustress,’ whereas the stress that pushes the envelope is known as distress,” Rogers said. “Finding the sweet spot at the top of the inverted U can be very satisfying, and mindfulness practice—and becoming more mindfully aware—can help us course correct throughout the day as we begin to slip down either side. This is due to our becoming adept at noticing the tell-tale signs of overwhelm as it begins to kick in.”

Since 1992, April has been recognized as Stress Awareness Month, an intent to bring attention to the causes and cures for our modern-day stress epidemic.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Coping Skills Training can be counted among the cures that strengthen resiliency and increase our efficiency in managing stress, according to Michael Antoni , professor and director of the Health Psychology Division in the Department of Psychology .

“One of the most widely accepted and empirically supported methods for changing the ways people interpret challenges is through CBT and specifically, techniques referred to as ‘cognitive restructuring’ where we teach people to entertain alternative interpretations of stressors/challenges to be less threatening, less uncertain, etc. by addressing the extremeness and rigidity of some of their stress appraisals,” Antoni explained.

CBT, conducted in combination with Coping Skills Training, involves having them call upon their arsenal of coping strategies that can be applied to the challenge, but with an eye toward efficient use of energies. Facilitators help differentiate elements of stress that are, and may remain, less controllable versus those that are actually more controllable, Antoni explained. 

People learn to “match” more action-oriented coping responses (e.g., making plans, seeking information) to the controllable elements, and use more emotion-focused coping responses (e.g., relaxation, pleasurable activities, seeking social support) to deal with the uncontrollable elements. Together these cognitive-behavioral techniques may greatly increase the efficiency with which one manages stressors; helps to avoid burnout, hopelessness, and frustration; and can provide greater opportunities for self-mastery and gaining helpful social support.  

Mindfulness training can help us cultivate greater present moment awareness so that we might perceive things more clearly, suggested Rogers, founder and director of the Mindfulness in Law Program , UMindfulness, the University’s Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative , and author of several books on the topic. 

“There are stressors in life that bring about responses, mentally and physically, that can be helpful to meeting the challenge,” he said. “So too, we are all susceptible to over-reacting to a challenge when we misperceive what is at stake. The more clearly we see what is actually taking place (e.g., that thoughts forecasting gloom and doom over a change in job or a relationship are just thoughts—not facts—and worth further investigation; that a person yelling is, in fact, sad or scared), the better we size things up and our expectations and assessments are better balanced and more in alignment with reality.” 

Most mindfulness training programs teach meditative practice that direct attention in ways that improve our ability to notice the emerging, changing, and dissipating of thoughts and feelings arising in the mind, and of physical sensations arising in the body.

“As these capacities develop with practice (and experience) we relate to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations differently,” Rogers pointed out. “We notice them arising sooner and are less likely to resist. We can become more resilient because we see things more clearly and are less likely to get swept away by assumptions, preconceptions, and biases (largely mental activity) and by moments of physiological distress and agitation. Hence, we become steadier and less reactive.”  

If stress—our response to change, challenge, and demand—is relatively neutral, what are some of the factors that determine our varied responses? 

When we sense a stimulus (through our eyes, ears, nose and other sensory organs) our cerebral cortex interprets the meaning of these through a perceptual process—whether they indicate pleasure, pain, danger, etc.—and signals other brain regions to organize a response, which can range from approach to avoidance to mounting some sort of defensive maneuver, according to Antoni. 

When we interpret that a stimulus or challenge outweighs our means for easily responding then these cortical regions may signal subcortical “stress response centers” involving the hypothalamus and other parts of our “limbic” system and the brainstem, he explained. These cortical “decisions” may depend on the degree of certainty that we have about the nature and impact of the stimuli and our cognitive, behavioral, and social “resources” for responding. 

These brain changes can signal neuroendocrine stress hormones in ways that affect peripheral physiology through interactions with cells and tissues that contribute to physical health and disease. This area of study, called psychoneuroimmunology, characterizes much of the work done in the past 37 years in the Health Psychology Division in the Department of Psychology in collaboration with colleagues at the Miller School of Medicine, noted Antoni, also a Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center professor of psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences.

“One could argue that a lifetime of learning, a set of rich and memorable experiences, and the development of wisdom all comes from a series of encounters with challenges that we handle and grow from. These may involve acute stress episodes,” said Antoni, in noting some of the more severe consequences associated with acute and chronic stress.

“Short-term stress—and our successful resolution of it—may also bring about positive psychological states such as positive mood, and a sense of self-efficacy or mastery,” Antoni pointed out.  

Students: Learn how to prioritize well-being during final exams

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Essay on Stress Management

500 words essay on stress management.

Stress is a very complex phenomenon that we can define in several ways. However, if you put them together, it is basically the wear and tear of daily life. Stress management refers to a wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies for controlling a person’s stress level, especially chronic stress . If there is effective stress management, we can help one another break the hold of stress on our lives. The essay on stress management will throw light on the very same thing.

Identifying the Source of Stress

The first step of stress management is identifying the source of stress in your life. It is not as easy as that but it is essential. The true source of stress may not always be evident as we tend to overlook our own stress-inducing thoughts and feelings.

For instance, you might constantly worry about meeting your deadline. But, in reality, maybe your procrastination is what leads to this stress than the actual deadline. In order to identify the source of stress, we must look closely within ourselves.

If you explain away stress as temporary, then it may be a problem. Like if you yourself don’t take a breather from time to time, what is the point? On the other hand, is stress an integral part of your work and you acknowledging it like that?

If you make it a part of your personality, like you label things as crazy or nervous energy, you need to look further. Most importantly, do you blame the stress on people around you or the events surrounding you?

It is essential to take responsibility for the role one plays in creating or maintaining stress. Your stress will remain outside your control if you do not do it.

Strategies for Stress Management

It is obvious that we cannot avoid all kinds of stress but there are many stressors in your life which you can definitely eliminate. It is important to learn how to say no and stick to them.  Try to avoid people who stress you out.

Further, if you cannot avoid a stressful situation, try altering it. Express your feelings don’t bottle them up and manage your time better. Moreover, you can also adapt to the stressor if you can’t change it.

Reframe problems and look at the big picture. Similarly, adjust your standards and focus on the positive side. Never try to control the uncontrollable. Most importantly, make time for having fun and relaxing.

Spend some time with nature, go for a walk or call a friend, whatever pleases you.  You can also try working out, listening to music and more. As long as it makes you happy, never give up.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Stress Management

All in all, we can control our stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the relaxation response of our body. It is the state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Thus, when you practice these techniques regularly, you can build your resilience and heal yourself.

FAQ of Essay on Stress Management

Question 1: What is the importance of stress management?

Answer 1: Stress management is very efficient as it helps in breaking the hold which stress has on our lives. Moreover, you can also become happy, healthy and more productive because of it. The ultimate goal should be to live a balanced life and have the resilience to hold up under pressure.

Question 2: Give some stress management techniques.

Answer 2: There are many stress management techniques through which one can reduce stress in their lives. One can change their situation or their reaction to it. We can try by altering the situation. If not, we can change our attitudes towards it. Remember, accept things that you cannot change.

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Psychology Discussion

Essay on stress: it’s meaning, effects and coping with stress.

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Essay on Stress: It’s Meaning, Effects and Coping with Stress!

Stress is a very common problem being faced today. Every individual will experience stress in one or the other time.

The term stress has many definitions, Lazarus and Folkman (1984) have defined stress as “an internal state which can be caused by physical demands of body or by environmental and social situations, which are evaluated as potentially harmful, uncontrollable, or exceeding our resources for coping”.

According to David Fontana “stress is a demand made upon the adaptive capacities of the mind and body”.

These definitions indicate that stress represents those conditions under which individuals have demand made upon them, that they cannot physically or psychologically meet, leading to breakdown at one or other of these levels.

Stress is usually thought of in negative terms. But ii can manifest itself in both positive and negative way. It is said to be positive when the situation offers an opportunity for one, to gain something.

Eustress (the Greek word ‘eu’ means good) is the term used to describe positive stress. It is often viewed as motivator, since in its absence the individual lacks the spirit necessary for peak performance. Distress is the term used to indicate negative stress.

Almost any change in the environment- even a pleasant change such as a joyful trip- demands some coping, and a little stress is useful in helping us to adapt. But beyond some point, stress becomes a ‘distress’.

What acts to produce distress varies from person to person, but some events seem to be stressors for every person.

Examples of stressors are:

1. Injury or infections of the body, dangers in environment, major changes or transitions in life which force us to cope in new ways.

2. Physical stressors like noise, pollutions, climatic changes, etc.

3. Hustles of everyday life centering on work, family, social activities, health and finances.

4. Frustrations and conflicts.

The physical, environmental and social causes of the stress state are termed stressors. Once induced by stressors the internal stress state can then lead to various responses. On the other hand, psychological responses such as anxiety, hopelessness, depression, irritability, and a general feeling of not being able to cope with the world, can result from the stress state.

Stress cycles:

Stress has a number of immediate effects. If the stressors are maintained, long-term behavioural, physiological, emotional and cognitive effects occur. If these effects hinder adaptation to the environment or create discomfort and distress, they themselves become stressors and, tend to perpetuate a ‘cycle’ of distress.

Example, a patient spends more money on treatment, may experience continued stress even after the cure of the disease, because repayment of debt cause stress for long time in him or a patient whose leg is amputated after accident may continue to worry about it.

On the other hand, many people have developed ways of coping with stressors, so that they are able to respond adaptively. This is the ‘wellness cycle’. Teaching people adaptive ways of handling stress, so as to promote the wellness cycle is an important part of the newly emerging field of behavioural medicine.

Effects of stress:

Stress is not always harmful. In fact, it is recognised that low levels of stress can even helps for better performance. For example, a student can prepare well for forthcoming examination only if he has some stress. However, excess level of stress is undoubtedly harmful.

The effects of stress are divided into three categories:

a. Physiological effects:

Commonly appearing stress related bodily disorders are-peptic ulcers, hypertension, chronic fatigue, hormonal changes, increased heart rate, difficulty in breathing, numbness of limbs, heart disease and reduction in immunity, etc.

b. Psychological effects:

Anxiety, depression, hopelessness, helplessness, anger, nervousness, irritability, tension and boredom may be experienced.

c. Behavioural changes:

Decreasing efficiency, making mistakes, inability to take decisions, under eating or overeating, sleeplessness, increased smoking, develop addiction to alcohol and drugs, forgetfulness, hypersensitivity or passiveness, accident proneness and interpersonal difficulties are seen.

Stress is linked to disorders such as cancer and heart disorders. There are several mediating variables that determine whether stress becomes dangerous or not. For example, good coping mechanisms which can help to reduce stress, having good social support, often help in reducing stress.

Perception of stress or how a person views stress is also very important. For example, a person may not perceive a situation as stressful whereas the same situation may be perceived as highly stressful by some other person.

People with personality type ‘A’ are more prone to be affected by stress related disorders like cardiovascular diseases. Personality character like hardiness or emotional stability helps to withstand effects of stress.

Hans Selye, a renowned biological scientist defines stress as the nonspecific response of the body to any demand upon it. He termed the body’s response to stressors the “General Adaptation Syndrome” (GAS).

The GAS consists of 3 stages:

1. Alarm reaction:

It is an emergency response of the body. In this stage prompt responses of the body, many of them mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, prepare us to cope with the stressor here and now.

2. Stage of resistance:

If the stressor continues to be present, the stage of resistance begins, wherein the body resists the effects of the continuous stressor. During this stage certain hormonal responses of the body are an important line of defence in resisting the effects of stressors (For example, release of ACTH).

3. Stage of exhaustion:

In this stage, the body’s capacity to respond to both continuous and new stressors has been seriously compromised. The person will no longer be able to face stressor and he will finally succumb to it. The person may develop psychosomatic illness.

The stress leads to many psychosomatic diseases. Treatment for such diseases involves medical help for the physical problems and, at the same time, attention to the psychological factors producing the stress.

Coping with Stress :

There are different ways of coping with stress such as: confronting (facing), distancing (remoteness), self-control, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, escape or avoid (from the stressor), plan a problem solving strategy and positive reappraisal.

Usually two broad type of coping types are seen- Instrumental coping and Emotional coping.

In instrumental coping, a person focuses on the problem and tries to solve it. In emotional coping, the focus is more on the feelings generated by the problem.

Today, self- help remedies, Do to yourself approaches, weight loss clinics and diets, health foods and physical exercise are being given much attention in mass media. People are actually taking more responsibility to maintain good health.

However, some specific techniques to eliminate or to manage more effectively the inevitable, prolonged stress are as follows:

Good physical exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, riding bicycle, playing soft ball, tennis are necessary to cope with stress.

Relaxation:

Whether a person simply takes it easy once in a while or uses specific relaxation techniques such as bio-feedback, or meditation, the intent is to eliminate the immediately stressful situation or manage a prolonged stressful situation more effectively.

Taking it easy may mean curling up with a good book on an easy chair or watching some light programme on television or listening to a light music. Meditation is scientifically proved to be very useful, both physically and mentally to cope with stress.

Behavioural self-control:

By deliberately managing the antecedents and the consequence of their own behaviour, people can achieve self-control. Besides managing their own behaviour to reduce stress, people can also become more aware of their limits and of ‘red flags’ that signal trouble ahead. They can avoid people or situations that they know will put them under stress.

Maladaptive strategies, rigid strategies or relying on one type of coping method lead to increase in the stress. Social support helps reduce the effect of stress. People may provide help, advice, material support or moral support that helps to reduce stress.

In addition to the above, psychotherapy (Beck’s cognitive therapy, Ellis’s rational emotive therapy and Meichenbaum’s stress- inoculation training), skill training, environmental changes, Bio-feedback (control of physical signs such as Blood pressure, headache, etc), family therapy, group therapy, hypnosis, yoga, are found to be very useful. Finally, uses of drugs are some of the other strategies adopted in coping with stress.

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• MIND, BODY, WONDER

‘Hysterical strength’? Fight or flight? This is how your body reacts to extreme stress

In life-threatening situations, your body instantaneously recruits the largest and fastest muscle fibers needed for explosive force and power.

A 16-year-old boy lifts a Volkswagen off his pinned neighbor. A mother fights off a polar bear to protect her children. A daughter heaves an overturned tractor   from atop her father. These feats are made possible by a rush of adrenaline and by unlocking bodily systems and muscle capacity that are only fully accessed in moments of extreme duress.

While these incidents of so-called "hysterical strength" are real, the phenomenon is tricky to study in the lab because doing so would be dangerous to participants. Instead, neuroscientists build on what’s known about the brain and body's fight-or-flight response and the stress feedback mechanisms associated with it that fuel these acts of extreme strength.

These are the same response systems that served our ancient ancestors in situations like confronting or fleeing from a saber tooth tiger, but they have evolved so that less extreme mechanisms are triggered in modern-day situations like when we get a troubling text message from a loved one, slam our brakes when an animal darts across the road, or are faced with the prospect of public speaking.

In each case, "it's the same stress response, but is now more frequently activated in non-life-threatening situations," says Marc Dingman, an associate professor of biobehavioral health at The Pennsylvania State University.

These mechanisms exist as part of the body's autonomic nervous system, which can be thought of as a continuum, suggests popular   Stanford Medicine researcher and neuroscientist, Andrew Huberman. "On one end of this continuum, you have absolute panic and the physiological responses related to that," he explains, "and on the opposite side you have coma."

Between these two extremes exist a range of biological responses to stress , some of which are relatable like when you lose your appetite or have trouble sleeping. Other responses are known to far less people, such as those who have experienced a moment of hysterical strength.

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Understanding hysterical strength and the fight-or-flight response.

Hysterical strength is a term sometimes used to describe "feats of strength occurring in high-stress situations that greatly exceed what we would normally imagine a person being able to produce and which would be impossible to reproduce in calmer circumstances," says E. Paul Zehr, a professor of sensorimotor neuroscience at the University of Victoria in Canada.

People may experience this phenomenon when they are in extreme danger—such as falling through a frozen lake, getting attacked by a human or an animal, being trapped by an object, or when facing a natural or manmade disaster.

"The same response can also occur when intervening to protect another person in danger, so it's not only for self-protection," says Massimo Testa, a sports medicine physician at Intermountain Medical Group in Utah.

In such circumstances, research shows that complex brain structures, neurotransmitters, and specific bodily systems kick in to release a cascade of hormones, allowing greater access to muscle capacity and increased blood flow to the appendages and organs of the body most needed to respond to the emergency.

To further help the body accomplish this state of hyper-arousal, energy that is normally utilized in other systems around the body—such as those related to seeking and digesting food, managing reproductive health, or regulating body temperature—are diverted to focus on immediate survival.

"Any organism—human or otherwise—essentially has only three basic responses to any kind of stressor: stay put, move forward, or back away," says Huberman. While bodily resources are needed for any of these responses, it's the fight and flight options that require the most mobilization of resources, focusing all attention on the same objective.

"In this state, the frame rate on your perception of time drastically increases and you start micro-slicing time, taking in much more information than you normally would—and much quicker," explains Huberman.

During such extreme stress you may also use more of your muscles than you would ordinarily be able to access. "We’re generally utilizing only a fraction of our muscles’ maximal strength and power and there’s usually plenty in reserve that remains untapped," says Gordon Lynch, director of the Centre for Muscle Research at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Research shows there are multiple inherent safeguards that specifically prevent muscles from being overloaded. During an emergency, however, Lynch explains that these safeguards can "be overridden to enable the instantaneous recruitment of the largest and fastest muscle fibers needed for explosive force and power and for the muscle’s true potential to be realized."

The part hormones play

Fight-or-flight responses like these originate in the amygdala—a complex brain structure, "which processes your experiences for their emotional content," says Donald Katz, a psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. He explains that when this structure is confronted by a stressor, it sends a distress signal to an area of the brain called the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus is like a command center for the autonomic nervous system—a system that has two divisions known as the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

These systems control multiple involuntary bodily functions including cardiovascular and respiratory performance and the constriction and dilation of key blood vessels and small airways in the lungs.

When a stress response is activated in the hypothalamus, neurotransmitters are released from neurons throughout the body and a signal is sent to the adrenal glands, which are located on top of both kidneys.

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From there, a rapid release of the hormones adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) occurs.

This hormone release, "increases heart rate and blood pressure, expands the air passages to maximize oxygen, and triggers the blood vessels to contract, which helps to re-direct blood toward major muscle groups including the heart and lungs," says Holly Blake, a professor of behavioral medicine at the University of Nottingham Medical School in England.

Senses related to touch, sight, and sound are also heightened by the release of these and other hormones, which all serve to help you better process and respond to any sudden changes in your environment.

Of particular importance, adrenaline can also transiently reduce the sensation of pain. "Adrenaline can affect pain perception by inhibiting signaling pathways," explains Mihail Zilbermint, a physician and the director of the endocrine hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Medicine. It does this, in part, by intercepting and blocking pain signals traveling through the brain and spinal cord. A flood of endorphins is also often involved, which research shows act as natural painkillers.

It's because of these hormones that one can strain or overload a muscle during moments of tremendous stress. "Your pain feedback pathways ordinarily work to protect you, but when these pathways shut down, you're no longer concerned with tearing a bicep or dislocating a shoulder as you're instead trying to defend yourself or a loved one against catastrophic harm," explains Huberman.

Stress responses affect all

While extreme fight-or-flight stress responses can be beneficial and even essential for survival in emergencies, a smaller quantity of these hormones are released under more ordinary circumstances.

"Everything that happens within this response system exists on a continuum, so someone that's a little bit stressed will experience some of this while someone in full panic mode will unlock the full effects of this system," says Huberman.

Indeed, research shows that stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline are released often in most of us. "Adrenaline is produced whenever there is stress," explains Melissa Leber, a physician and the director of Emergency Department Sports Medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. "It can be during a competition or performance, because of an important test or presentation, when in a fight, or when your body is dealing with illness or an infection."

And because some people are already experiencing stress more often than others, those individuals tend to experience stress responses more frequently and often to greater degrees.

Someone at a demanding job or someone who is regularly not getting enough sleep, for instance, is more likely to be "tired and wired for stress," as Huberman puts it, than someone who doesn’t struggle with those things.

Conversely, and further up the continuum, "extreme endurance or power athletes almost certainly activate more of this stress system and for longer periods of time than is usual for the rest of us," Zehr says.

In either case, an individual will likely experience short-term benefits associated with the release of stress-related hormones, but the long-term consequences of these hormones frequently flooding one’s system can be worrisome. "We need these hormones to facilitate physiological responses, but in excess, they can be our undoing," Lynch says.

The consequences of experiencing extreme stress

Lynch explains that the chronic stress that's associated with sustained, higher releases of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, "can take their toll on the body’s organs and systems, leading to detrimental physiological outcomes.” Common adverse effects of chronic stress include high blood pressure , sleep disorders , diabetes , obesity , and heart disease .

Stress can also affect the part of the brain where memories are stored. "While stress impacts your memory dramatically in the short term and particularly in fight-or-flight situations—likely because your brain wants to remember how to avoid a similar situation in the future—in the long-term, chronic stress can significantly impair your memory," explains Huberman.

And the extreme end of this stress response, such as what’s associated with hysterical strength and fighting or fleeing, can lead to especially worrisome outcomes.

"The physiological cascades that lead to the expression of 'hysterical strength' by their very nature remove safety limits and can thereby be extraordinarily dangerous," says Zehr. "If we were at maximum all the time, we would not live very long."

Blake says that even the incidental release of too much adrenaline such as what happens when the body anticipates a threat that never manifests, "can cause symptoms such as dizziness, insomnia, a jittery nervous feeling, and, in more serious cases, damage to the heart."

In cases where trauma is also associated with the extreme end of a stress response, a person could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and be affected for long periods of time.

Even without a PTSD diagnosis, experiencing a high-stress response can be hard for many people to come down from emotionally. Huberman explains that fight-or-flight mechanisms necessarily activate very quickly, "but deactivating these responses tends to take much longer and some people will still be ruminating on the experience hours or days later."

Such people may have difficulty concentrating, their appetite may be affected, and they may struggle with sleep at night.

"We're human," says Huberman, "and sometimes when we are stressed, we can't just turn it off."

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Navigating Family Stress: Causes, Impact, and Solutions

This essay about the complexities of familial strain, exploring its triggers, ramifications, and adaptive strategies. It discusses how financial instability, interpersonal conflict, and external pressures contribute to family stress. Emphasizing the importance of effective communication and resilience-building, the essay offers insights into navigating the challenges of familial strain. Ultimately, it underscores the potential for growth and unity amidst adversity, urging families to embrace adaptive strategies to emerge stronger and more resilient.

How it works

Within the intricate tapestry of human relationships, the familial bond stands as both a sanctuary and a battleground, where love and tension intermingle in a delicate dance. As we embark on an expedition into the realm of family stress, it becomes evident that its roots delve deep into the soil of human experience, sprouting from a myriad of intertwined causes. From the gnarled roots of financial instability to the tempestuous winds of interpersonal conflict, the landscape of familial strain is vast and varied.

At the forefront of familial strife lies the perennial challenge of financial instability. Like a relentless tide, economic hardships can inundate the family unit, casting a shadow of uncertainty over its inhabitants. From the strain of making ends meet to the specter of mounting debts, the weight of financial burdens can bear heavily upon familial shoulders, straining relationships and eroding resilience. Moreover, the ripple effects of economic instability extend far beyond the confines of the household, permeating every aspect of daily life and exacerbating existing tensions.

Yet, amidst the tumult of financial strain, another force looms large on the horizon: interpersonal conflict. Like thunderclouds gathering on the horizon, unresolved conflicts can cast a pall over familial relationships, breeding resentment and sowing seeds of discord. Whether stemming from clashing personalities, divergent values, or unresolved grievances, these conflicts can serve as a crucible in which familial bonds are tested and tempered. Left unchecked, they can metastasize, poisoning the wellspring of familial harmony and fracturing the ties that bind.

Furthermore, the external pressures of modern life serve as a formidable adversary in the battle against familial strain. From the relentless demands of work to the ever-present specter of societal expectations, the external forces that assail the family unit are manifold and multifaceted. Caught in the crossfire of competing obligations and expectations, families find themselves navigating treacherous waters, buffeted by the winds of change and uncertainty. In such turbulent times, resilience becomes not just a virtue but a necessity, a lifeline to cling to amidst the storm.

Yet, despite the myriad challenges that beset the familial landscape, there exists a beacon of hope amidst the darkness: the power of adaptive strategies. Like intrepid explorers charting a course through uncharted waters, families can harness the tools at their disposal to navigate the labyrinth of stress and emerge stronger on the other side. Effective communication serves as a compass, guiding them through the rocky terrain of conflict and discord. By fostering open dialogue and active listening, families can bridge the gap between differing perspectives and cultivate a sense of empathy and understanding.

Moreover, the cultivation of resilience serves as a bulwark against the onslaught of adversity, equipping families with the fortitude to weather life’s inevitable storms. Like a sturdy vessel navigating stormy seas, resilience enables families to withstand the turbulence of familial strain and emerge unscathed on the other side. Through resilience-building exercises and coping mechanisms, families can shore up their defenses and fortify their bonds, forging a path towards greater harmony and cohesion.

In conclusion, the journey through the labyrinth of familial strain is fraught with peril and uncertainty, yet it is also replete with opportunity and growth. By unraveling the tangled threads of causality, acknowledging the far-reaching impact, and embracing adaptive strategies, families can chart a course towards greater resilience and well-being. Like intrepid explorers forging a path through uncharted territory, they can navigate the twists and turns of familial stress with courage and determination, emerging stronger and more united than ever before.

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Hanadi Abdulkadir | How to finish off the spring semester strong

The daily philadelphian | find ways to connect with the world outside of penn daily.

With the last day of classes tomorrow, it’s that point in the semester where burnout plagues the average university student. However, this is a problem amplified by the way that the spring semester takes its toll on us. Thanks to Penn’s breaks being much shorter than other universities in the surrounding area, we lament our early return back to campus rather than returning from winter break feeling well rested and refreshed. 

With countless deadlines, looming summer plans, and only so many weekends left, we have no choice but to push ourselves harder to finish the year off strong. However, this becomes even more difficult when we’re not given enough time to just stop and take a breather without sacrificing our weekends and feeling guilty for doing so. It becomes much more difficult to balance your mental health alongside concerns about housing for next year, studying for finals, and even squeezing in time to hang out with friends.

One way students can try to unload some of this stress is by wandering around different parts of the city and enjoying the good weather while it’s here. While Philadelphia weather is unpredictable at times, there are countless opportunities to visit places and events in the city — like the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival happening for the next few weeks. Even walking a few streets away along the Schuylkill River can give you a pause from all of the responsibilities piling up on campus.

Taking a break to acknowledge some of the holidays we don’t get off can also help connect you with the outside world. Even if you can’t get away from campus for a day or two to celebrate, meet with some friends for dinner and find a way to force some of that human connection into your Google Calendar. But if you do have time, check out music festivals that are set to take place over the next few weeks or months when you have the time, with artists like Olivia Rodrigo , Megan Thee Stallion , and even smaller local artists headlining.  

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Take it from someone who’s lived in Philadelphia their entire life, most of the food near Penn is abysmal and doesn’t reflect all of the beautiful and rich spaces across the city. If you haven’t already, check out South Street and all of the amazing food spots like Nora’s Kitchen or browse through records at Repo Records . 

You can even mark your calendars for events happening into the fall. Rittenhouse Square has small art showcases in the summer and into October where you can check out unique pieces and support local artists. If you really love Insomnia Cookies, but are tired of heading down to Houston Hall, check out their super top secret Cookie Lab in Center City. At some point or even now, you might feel like you’ve exhausted all there is to see in Philadelphia based on some of the travel articles online. However, there is so much more to see that isn’t listed on the internet if you just walk a few blocks in any direction. 

This is all to say that while academics are the most important reason for why we endure so much stress, it’s not the end of the world if you sacrifice a few hours in your day to take a break from being at Penn. Finding ways to bring yourself joy even at your most challenging times is key to getting through the semester a little more sane. These four years go by quickly; it’s important to ensure that you enjoy every moment possible before life becomes even more demanding than it is now.

HANADI ABDULKADIR is a College sophomore studying international relations from Philadelphia. Her email is [email protected] . 

The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.

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An NPR editor who wrote a critical essay on the company has resigned after being suspended

FILE - The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) stands on North Capitol Street on April 15, 2013, in Washington. A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal reviews resigned on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

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NEW YORK (AP) — A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal views resigned on Wednesday, attacking NPR’s new CEO on the way out.

Uri Berliner, a senior editor on NPR’s business desk, posted his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended for five days for violating company rules about outside work done without permission.

“I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems” written about in his essay, Berliner said in his resignation letter.

Katherine Maher, a former tech executive appointed in January as NPR’s chief executive, has been criticized by conservative activists for social media messages that disparaged former President Donald Trump. The messages predated her hiring at NPR.

NPR’s public relations chief said the organization does not comment on individual personnel matters.

The suspension and subsequent resignation highlight the delicate balance that many U.S. news organizations and their editorial employees face. On one hand, as journalists striving to produce unbiased news, they’re not supposed to comment on contentious public issues; on the other, many journalists consider it their duty to critique their own organizations’ approaches to journalism when needed.

In his essay , written for the online Free Press site, Berliner said NPR is dominated by liberals and no longer has an open-minded spirit. He traced the change to coverage of Trump’s presidency.

“There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed,” he wrote. “It’s frictionless — one story after another about instances of supposed racism, transphobia, signs of the climate apocalypse, Israel doing something bad and the dire threat of Republican policies. It’s almost like an assembly line.”

He said he’d brought up his concerns internally and no changes had been made, making him “a visible wrong-thinker at a place I love.”

In the essay’s wake, NPR top editorial executive, Edith Chapin, said leadership strongly disagreed with Berliner’s assessment of the outlet’s journalism and the way it went about its work.

It’s not clear what Berliner was referring to when he talked about disparagement by Maher. In a lengthy memo to staff members last week, she wrote: “Asking a question about whether we’re living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions. Questioning whether our people are serving their mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful and demeaning.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo revealed some of Maher’s past tweets after the essay was published. In one tweet, dated January 2018, Maher wrote that “Donald Trump is a racist.” A post just before the 2020 election pictured her in a Biden campaign hat.

In response, an NPR spokeswoman said Maher, years before she joined the radio network, was exercising her right to express herself. She is not involved in editorial decisions at NPR, the network said.

The issue is an example of what can happen when business executives, instead of journalists, are appointed to roles overseeing news organizations: they find themselves scrutinized for signs of bias in ways they hadn’t been before. Recently, NBC Universal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde has been criticized for service on paid corporate boards.

Maher is the former head of the Wikimedia Foundation. NPR’s own story about the 40-year-old executive’s appointment in January noted that she “has never worked directly in journalism or at a news organization.”

In his resignation letter, Berliner said that he did not support any efforts to strip NPR of public funding. “I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism,” he wrote.

David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder

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A Culture Warrior Takes a Late Swing

The editor and essayist Joseph Epstein looks back on his life and career in two new books.

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By Dwight Garner

NEVER SAY YOU’VE HAD A LUCKY LIFE: Especially If You’ve Had a Lucky Life , by Joseph Epstein

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTENT: New and Selected Essays , by Joseph Epstein

When Tammy Wynette was asked to write a memoir in her mid-30s, she initially declined, she said in an interview, because “I didn’t think my life was over yet.” The publisher responded: Has it occurred to you that in 15 years no one might care? She wrote the book. “Stand by Your Man: An Autobiography” (1979) was a hit.

The essayist and editor Joseph Epstein — whose memoir “Never Say You’ve Had a Lucky Life,” is out now, alongside a greatest-hits collection titled “Familiarity Breeds Content” — has probably never heard Wynette sing except by accident. (In a 1993 essay, he wrote that he wished he didn’t know who Willie Nelson was, because it was a sign of a compromised intellect.) But his memoir illustrates another reason not to wait too long to commit your life to print.

There is no indication that Epstein, who is in his late 80s, has lost a step. His prose is as genial and bland, if comparison to his earlier work is any indication, as it ever was. But there’s a softness to his memories of people, perhaps because it was all so long ago. This is the sort of memoir that insists someone was funny, or erudite, or charismatic, while rarely providing the crucial details.

Epstein aw-shucks his way into “Never Say You’ve Had a Lucky Life” — pretending to be self-effacing while not being so in the least is one of his salient qualities as a writer — by warning readers, “I may not have had a sufficiently interesting life to merit an autobiography.” This is because he “did little, saw nothing notably historic, and endured not much out of the ordinary of anguish or trouble or exaltation.” Quickly, however, he concludes that his life is indeed worth relating, in part because “over the years I have acquired the literary skill to recount that life well.”

Here he is wrong in both directions. His story is interesting enough to warrant this memoir. His personal life has taken complicated turns. And as the longtime editor of the quarterly magazine The American Scholar, and a notably literate conservative culture warrior, he’s been in the thick of things.

He does lack the skill to tell his own story, though, if by “skill” we mean not well-scrubbed Strunk and White sentences but close and penetrating observation. Epstein favors tasseled loafers and bow ties, and most of his sentences read as if they were written by a sentient tasseled loafer and edited by a sentient bow tie.

He grew up in Chicago, where his father manufactured costume jewelry. The young Epstein was popular and, in high school, lettered in tennis. His title refers to being lucky, and a big part of that luck, in his estimation, was to grow up back when kids could be kids, before “the therapeutic culture” took over.

This complaint sets the tone of the book. His own story is set next to a rolling series of cultural grievances. He’s against casual dress, the prohibition of the word “Negro,” grade inflation, the Beat Generation, most of what occurred during the 1960s, standards slipping everywhere, de-Westernizing college curriculums, D.E.I. programs, you name it. His politics aren’t the problem. We can argue about those. American culture needs more well-read conservatives. The problem is that in his search for teachable moments, his memoir acquires the cardboard tone of a middling opinion column.

His youth was not all tennis lessons and root beer floats. He and his friends regularly visited brothels because, he writes, sex was not as easy to come by in the 1950s. He was kicked out of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for his role in the selling of a stolen accounting exam to other students.

He was lucky to find a place at the University of Chicago, a place of high seriousness. The school changed him. He began to reassess his values. He began to read writers like Irving Howe, Sidney Hook, Midge Decter and Norman Podhoretz, and felt his politics pull to the right.

After college, he was drafted into the Army and ended up in Little Rock, Ark., where he met his first wife. At the time, she was a waitress at a bar and restaurant called the Gar Hole. Here Epstein’s memoir briefly threatens to acquire genuine weight.

She had lost custody of her two sons after a divorce. Together they got them back, and she and Epstein had two sons of their own. After their divorce, Epstein took all four of the boys. This is grist for an entire memoir, but Epstein passes over it quickly. One never gets much of a sense of what his boys were like, or what it was like to raise them. He later tells us that he has all but lost touch with his stepsons and has not seen them for decades.

He worked for the magazine The New Leader and the Encyclopaedia Britannica before becoming the editor of The American Scholar in 1975. It was a position he would hold for 22 years. He also taught at Northwestern University for nearly three decades.

At The American Scholar he began to write a long personal essay in each issue, under the pseudonym Aristides. He wrote 92 of these, on topics such as smoking and envy and reading and height. Most ran to 6,500 words, or about 4,000 words longer than they should have been.

Many magazine editors like to write every so often, to keep a hand in. But there is something unseemly about an editor chewing up acres of space in his own publication on a regular basis. Editorially, it’s a droit du seigneur imposition.

A selection of these essays, as well as some new ones, can now be found in “Familiarity Breeds Content.” In his introduction to this book, Christopher Buckley overpraises Epstein, leaving the reader no choice but to start mentally pushing back.

Buckley calls Epstein “the most entertaining living essayist in the English language.” (Not while Michael Kinsley, Lorrie Moore, Calvin Trillin, Sloane Crosley and Geoff Dyer, among many others, walk the earth.) He repurposes Martin Amis’s comment about Saul Bellow: “One doesn’t read Saul Bellow. One can only reread him.” To this he adds, “Ditto Epstein.” (Epstein is no Saul Bellow.) Buckley says, “Joe Epstein is incapable of writing a boring sentence.”

Well. How about this one, from an essay about cats?

A cat, I realize, cannot be everyone’s cup of fur.

Or this one, from an essay about sports and other obsessions:

I have been told there are people who wig out on pasta.

Or this one, about … guess:

When I was a boy, it occurs to me now, I always had one or another kind of hat.

Juggling today appears to be undergoing a small renaissance.

If one is looking to save on fuel bills, politics is likely to heat up a room quicker than just about anything else.

In tennis I was most notable for flipping and catching my racket in various snappy routines.

The essays are, by and large, as tweedy and self-satisfied as these lines make them sound. There are no wild hairs in them, no sudden deepenings of tone. Nothing is at stake. We are stranded with him on the putt-putt course.

Epstein fills his essays with quotation after quotation, as ballast. I am a fan of well-deployed, free-range quotations. So many of Epstein’s are musty and reek of Bartlett’s. They are from figures like Lord Chesterfield and Lady Mary Montagu and Sir Herbert Grierson and Tocqueville and Walpole and Carlyle. You can feel the moths escaping from the display case in real time.

To be fair, I circled a few sentences in “Familiarity Breeds Content” happily. I’m with him on his distrust of “fun couples.” He writes, “A cowboy without a hat is suitable only for bartending.” I liked his observation, which he borrowed from someone else, that a career has five stages:

(1) Who is Joseph Epstein? (2) Get me Joseph Epstein. (3) We need someone like Joseph Epstein. (4) What we need is a young Joseph Epstein. (5) Who is Joseph Epstein?

It’s no fun to trip up a writer on what might have been a late-career victory lap. Epstein doesn’t need me to like his work. He’s published more than 30 books, and you can’t do that unless you’ve made a lot of readers happy.

NEVER SAY YOU’VE HAD A LUCKY LIFE : Especially If You’ve Had a Lucky Life | By Joseph Epstein | Free Press | 287 pp. | $29.99

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTENT : New and Selected Essays | By Joseph Epstein | Simon & Schuster | 441 pp. | Paperback, $20.99

Dwight Garner has been a book critic for The Times since 2008, and before that was an editor at the Book Review for a decade. More about Dwight Garner

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