related illnesses. Overall, ninety-nine percent of the students who responded to the questionnaire revealed they had relatively high levels of stress and experienced various poor health frequently.IntroductionStress and illness are no strangers to many. As many as 25 percent of the US population suffers from the negative effects of stress, and approximately 50 percent of all general medical patients are suffering from stress related problems (Everly, 1989). Several studies conducted confirm that stress is positively correlated with incidences of physical illness (DeVito, 1994). It is also becoming common knowledge that many physical diseases are either related to or can be exacerbated by excessive stress. Stress reduction is becoming a part of treatment and prevention of many diseases. Even insurance companies are paying for programs such as ones that reverse heart disease, which include learning stress reduction techniques . Many studies have tried to link and explain the role of the immune system in the human stress response. The issue has even been given its own term, psychoneuroimmunology, meaning the study of the “direct causal relationship between stress and illness” (DeVito, 1994). For example, a study looking at wound repair in caregivers vs. non-caregivers found that caregivers, who were under significantly more stress than non caregivers, took an average of nine days longer to heal than non caregivers (Keicolt-Glaser, Marucha, Malarkey, Mercado, and Glaser, 1995). This study cited differences in the chemical immunological responses between the two groups.There is no single recipe for managing stress, but utilizing fundamental coping mechanisms can help calm your mind. We cannot change who we are, our jobs, or families, but we can change our perceptions. The first step is to become more aware of the situation and environment. What causes your stress? How do you respond? By answering these questions,...
