Final Exam

· Question 1

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid that is synthesized by cholesterol in the two adrenal glands that are situated above each of the kidneys. It is often denoted to as the stress hormone, due to its link to stress response. Normally, cortisol is released when responding to events and activities such as waking up each morning, exercise and acute stress. The primary function of cortisol is to restore homeostasis after exposure to stress, and its effects are felt in the whole body. While its primary targets are metabolic, it has an effect on ion transport, the immune response, and even memory.

Cortisol is essential, and the body cannot live without it, but too much of it is not healthy. Short term busts of cortisol are necessary to help during recovery from stress. This boosts blood sugar levels hence providing adequate levels. Sustained high levels of cortisol because of increased blood sugar levels result to the risk of type 2 diabetes. Weight gain and obesity are also common due to the progressive storage of visceral fat (Adriaanse, 2012). In its functions, cortisol interferes with the endocrine system, and over time, the immune system may be weakened. Cardiovascular disease also results from cortisol constricting blood vessels to increase blood pressure hence enhancing the delivery of oxygenated blood. The risk of heart attack is high as such arterial constriction damages the blood vessels and causes plaque buildup. Elevated levels of cortisol due to stress may cause fertility problems.

Erectile dysfunction and the disruption of normal ovulation can be an issue.

When the body is exposed to high levels of cortisol for a long time, Cushing’s syndrome or hypercortisolism occurs (Clair, 2016). The symptoms and indicators vary depending on the levels of cortisol that the body is exposed. Weight gain, especially in the abdomen, especially in the face, midsection and upper back are one of the symptoms of the syndrome. A thinning, fragile skin is evident, and cuts, bruises, and insect bites may take a long time to heal. Purple or pink stretch marks appear on certain parts of the body. Treating the syndrome can return the body to normal cortisol productions and significantly improve the symptoms. Cortisol is an important hormone for regulation of energy in the body. However, its levels must be regulated in the body as too much of it causes myriad problems to the body.

· Question 2

Overeating and having unhealthy food choices is often associated with stress. When faced with anxiety, downing a bowl of ice cream or a cheeseburger may seem like the ideal choice to calm your nerves. However, reaching for a “green” lunch is a seamless choice. Green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, lettuce, and spinach; brim with fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. Foods such as spinach are high in the amino acid tryptophan, which helps you sleep better. It is also high in magnesium, which contributes to relaxing nerves and muscles.

A high protein food that is healthy is organic turkey breast. It is an exceptional foundation of tryptophan, an amino acid that the body converts into serotonin. This chemical regulates appetite and feelings of happiness and general well-being (Association, 2016). Tryptophan has a calming effect and studies have shown that quarrelsome people who consumed it remarkably became more pleasant.Carbohydrates are a energetic food group that should not be abandoned even when one is on a healthy diet plan. Carbohydrates can aid the brain make serotonin, the same matter regulated by antidepressants. Complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal are a healthy choice as they do not contribute to the spike in blood sugar levels caused by sugary carbohydrates like donuts.

An unhealthy gut can have a detrimental effect on mental health leading to issues such as depression and anxiety. Fermented foods are great for the digestive as well as the immune system. Studies reveal that women who ate yogurt with beneficial bacteria regularly had enhanced brain function unlike those who did not consume probiotics (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2015). Probiotics in yogurt reduce brain activity in areas that handle emotion, including stress.

When under stress, salmon can increase anxiety hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It has omega-3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory properties which help counter the adverse effects caused by stress hormones. Studies reveal that students who take omega-3 supplements have a 20% reduction in anxiety compared to those who take placebo pills. Diet is crucial in stress management as it has affected the mood and well-being of a person profoundly (Clair, 2016). Eating additional fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing the intake of sugar and processed carbohydrates may alleviate mental well-being, sicknesses such as ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia.

Question 3

Stress may be impossible to eliminate, but it can be managed. Any form of exercise can act as good stress reliever. Physical activity boosts feel-good endorphins that distract you from your worries. Improving one’s physique and fighting diseases are not the only benefits of exercise as it has also been credited to mental alertness and concentration as well as enhancing total cognitive function.

Physical activity pumps up endorphins in the body. These feel-good neurotransmitters also referred to as a runner’s high function to transmit electrical signals to the nervous system. Endorphins function to transmit electrical signals to the nervous system. They network with the opiate receptors in the brain to decrease our awareness of pain and act likewise to drugs such as morphine and codeine (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2015). They, however, do not cause dependency or addiction.

Exercise can be considered as a form of meditation but in motion. For example, when doing several laps in the pool, you will find that you have forgotten the day’s irritations and are only concentrating on how your body is moving. Slowly you begin to shed your daily tensions, and your primary focus is on that single task. The result, a lot of energy and optimism helping you remain calm and clear minded.

Exercises elevate the body’s temperature, and this may be the reason why one is so relaxed after a workout. Muscles are more flexible and less tense when they are warm. A researcher named Petruzzello speculated that the brain’s temperature also increased with exercise, thus causing neurochemical reactions that prompted the activity of compounds: serotonin and dopamine (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2015). These chemicals enable communication between parts of the brain. It is believed that these compounds are vital for mood regulation and pleasurable feelings in the body. From Petruzzello’s research, we allude that physical activity also stimulates brain activity hence more energy. William Greenough, who conducted animal studies, showed that exercise improved the mental deftness of chimpanzees, making them acquire new skills quickly.

There is also a simpler explanation why exercise alleviates stress. Having a slim waistline, being able to fit in our favorite jeans makes you happy. Research has shown that people, who were previously inactive, feel less and less anxious as they lose weight. Exercise and all forms of physical activity enhance positive changes in mood and reduce anxiety. Rhythmic activities like jogging, swimming, cycling and walking are particularly useful because they work for the major muscle groups (Association, 2016). Mentally stimulating exercises such as martial arts are also beneficial.

· Question 4

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness entails sustaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and everything around us. His Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) helps you learn to calm your mind and body. There are several ways of achieving this. Focusing the attention of the entire body starting with the feet and ending at the head is one of them. During this “body scan,” you might note places where you are tense or have pain. In Mindfulness for Dummies, Shamash Alidina describes the body scan as a way deliberately letting go of moods of needing to get stuff done. Just like other forms of meditation, the body scan also trains attention. Studies also reveal that a brief body scan has immediate benefits for those experiencing chronic pain.

Practicing yoga breathing exercises, stretches, and poses strengthens the body and relaxes the mind. Yoga is a system of exercises that stimulate both physical and mental health. It helps you achieve peacefulness of body and mind (Adriaanse, 2012). It is a great way of managing stress and anxiety. There many forms of yoga. Hatha yoga, in particular, is great for weight management since it incorporates breathing, relaxation, and deep stretching. Mindful eating cultivates an open-minded consciousness of how the food we select to eat touches one’s body, approaches, mind, and everything that is around us. It gives you a piece of mind as you are only focusing on the food you are eating. All forms of distraction such as electronics, the conversation is eliminated. All the senses of the body are engaged: how the food looks on the plate, the delicious aromas, and the sound of food as you cut into it and its taste. The result is a clear and focused mind.

It is advisable that when you can, sitting alone to think helps relax your mind. By just gazing out to admire the outdoors helps a great deal in relaxing your mind. Another alternative is taking a slow walk alone. Counting your breaths as you do this helps a great deal to calm you. Focusing on thoughts and destructions in your mind without judging them is a great way of stress relief (Macdiarmid & Horgan, 2012). For example, when you think about work and start feeling worried, turn attention to back to the present moment. This way, the mind calms down. Mindfulness reduces stress and helps people to relax. Studies also reveal that people with chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes have had their quality of life improved by mindfulness. Anxiety and insomnia are also eased with this method.

· Question 5

Distress in the workplace or occupational stress is stress caused by one’s job. It often comes from unforeseen responsibilities and pressures that you are unfamiliar with, thus inhibiting your ability to cope. It may be brought by a myriad of factors such as a toxic work environment. Here, infighting and meaningless dramas are rampant, and this inhibits productivity. Unfairness is typical in such an environment (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2015). Sexual harassment from the bosses may also occur. All these cause stress and affect your physical and mental health.

Work overload is where the demands of the job are too much perhaps due to the unrealistic deadlines set, under recruitment of staff or simply too much work. Self-esteem and mental health decline in such an environment. Negative and unsupportive work relationships with colleagues and supervisors also cause stress. They cause pressure and isolation, and unfair treatment of individuals may occur. Such a situation gets unbearable as it is demoralizing and detrimental.

Long hours at work tend to interfere with the work-life balance. The demands at work may cause you to travel too much and interfere with your personal life. This affects one’s personal relationships and may even lead to dependence on drugs and alcohol (Macdiarmid & Horgan, 2012). Managerial bullying can also cause stress. This may be verbal, nonverbal, physical abuse and humiliation. This may cause a lot of emotional harm as the victim is mostly powerless. Their jobs are at stake if they try to speak out. Such suffering is detrimental to mental health.

Work overload can be viewed as eustress or positive stress. This all depends on how the worker perceives it. If you can see the outcome and work towards it positively, the work will be a motivation and not a source of stress. Having a vision and ability to visualize the outcome puts a team in eustress. Work-related stress is a health issue that should not be ignored. A safe working environment free of victimization is what every employee needs. Stress management and coping mechanisms should be available for everyone at the workplace for the healthy working environment to be established.

· Question 6

Active listening is concentrating fully on what is being said rather than passively “hearing” what the speaker has said. This skill is used in counseling, conflict resolution, and training. The listener needs to concentrate, understand and remember what has been mentioned entirely. This skill can be acquired or developed with practice. There are several barriers to active listening. “Knowing the answer” where you think you know what the speaker wants to say and attempt finishing saying it. You interrupt them as you try completing their sentence. It is even more disruptive when what you say is in disagreement with what they were trying to say. This is a kind of close-mindedness as it implies that you are judging the speaker.

Trying to be helpful is noble as you are thinking solutions to the speaker’s problems as they speak. However, you miss out on that they are essentially saying. Paying attention to the speaker is the goal and should be your focus (Health Resources and Services Administration, 2015). Reacting to red flag words can harbor active listening. Red flags are words that trigger a strong emotion or a deep association in the listener’s mind. This may be because of your experiences or beliefs. Lack of interest in a conversation is also a barrier to active listening. For example, you may be making a to-do list in your head as the speaker is talking thus missing out on what they are saying. This kind of disinterest may be reflected in your body language and maybe offensive.

Distractions are a barrier to active listening. They may be physical, mental, auditory or visual. Electronic gadgets such as mobile phones and being involved in other activities are distractions. Facing the speaker reduces chances of you being distracted. To become an active listener: pay attention. Pay attention to ensure that you grasp what the speaker is saying. You can ensure this by looking at the speaker directly, putting away any distracting thoughts and also “listening” to the body language of the speaker.

Showing the speaker that you are listening is important and is conveyed by occasionally nodding, using appropriate facial expressions and having an open posture. Evaluate what you hear so that you can give a suitable response. You can do this by asking questions. Paraphrasing what has been said is a great way. Defer judgment; wait for the speaker to finish each point before asking questions. It may be frustrating if you keep interrupting. Active listening is a skill that shows respect and understanding. Listening deliberately to hear what the speaker is saying should be your goal.

References

Adriaanse, M. A. (2012). Do implementation intentions help to eat a healthy diet? . A systematic review and meta-analysis of the empirical evidence, pp. 42-60.

Association, A. N. (2016). Healthy-Work-Environment. Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/WorkplaceSafety/Healthy-Work-Environment

Clair, L. (2016). healthcare-mobility-solutions-market. Retrieved from www.marketsandmarkets.com: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-mobility-solutions-market-1295547.html

Health Resources and Services Administration. (2015). preparebudget. Retrieved from www.hrsa.gov: http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit/toolbox/RuralHealthITtoolbox/Financing/preparebudget.html

Macdiarmid, J. I., & Horgan, G. W. (2012). Sustainable diets for the future: can we contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eating a healthy diet?Retrieved from ajcn.nutrition.org: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/96/3/632.short

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