Question

MCAT Mini-Tutorial: Stress

Answer 1

\({\bf{Stress:}}\) an emotional/physical response to a challenging situation
- depends on one's assessment/appraisal o f the situation, whether the possible positive outcomes may be worth the stressor or not
- Holmes and Rahe: ranks 43 life stressors from most to least stressful
- micro-stressors: small stressors of everyday living
- ambient stressors: environmental stressors beyond the individual's control like noise or weather
- can have harmful physical/emotional/mental effects like decreased critical thinking, trauma, and increased likelihood of developing psychological disorders

\({\bf{General~Adaptation~Syndrome:}}\)
- alarm phase: preparation of the flight or fight response
- resistance phase: conservation of energy, decreased functioning of certain body systems
- exhaustion phase: lack of energy, loss of ability to fight the stressor

\({\bf{Stress~Management:}}\) methods of coping with stress
- positive stress management: healthy activities like exercise, relaxation, meditation
- negative stress management: unhealthy activities like overeating, harming oneself, or depending on drugs/alcohol

Answer 2

Anyway, that's the end of my tutorial, I hope it was a helpful resource. Source material is the 2nd Edition Barron's Prep book for the new MCAT