"It was my worst nightmare come true. I had studied hard and was more than adequately prepared. But when the time came to answer the questions, my mind went absolutely blank. I remembered nothing, zilch." This is not a self serving scenario some unsuccessful candidate has cooked up to justify failure. This is one possible response of the human body to stress. Any change that upsets your accustomed pattern of life causes stress. Quite literally, stress is the additional demand on the physical and mental resources of an individual caused either by physiological factors, such as adolescence, menopause, ageing, illness, accidents, sleep disturbances, or an altered environment, which include changes in relationships, weather and living conditions and even time pressure.All stress is not bad. If a person is absolutely relaxed and complacent, the urge to do better disappears and ambition vanishes. But what is positive stress for one individual? We have all heard of Type A and Type B personalities. Type A is the aggressive go-getter, who is more prone to stress than the laid-back, relaxed Type B. But scientists now believe that even doing nothing is stressful. In other words, if Type B is too laid-back, he or she might be stressed without even being aware of it. To elaborate, whenever a person is stressed, the mind responds, either positively or negatively. From the mind, signals are passed to the body, which reacts by changing its biochemistry to adapt to the changed situation. This includes the release of hormones like Cortisol, Adrenaline, Serotonin and Vasopressin, collectively known as stress hormones. The components of the body which are involved in this response to stress, constitute the "stress system''.The stress system is so tuned to responding to both external and internal stimuli, that it is possible that the conscious mind may not even be aware of the stress playing havoc with in its body. In the resting state, the stress system performs key functions of the body, like maintaining cardiovasular tone, respiration, metabolism and regulation of hunger and sexual arousal. So that if an individual performs no activity at all for a long period of time, it means one or more components of the stress system are working below their minimum level. As a result, fatigue and irritability set in.A healthy stress system wards off the negative aspects of stress and utilises the positive ones. But if the stress system is unable to cope with the demands made on it, it responds by instant physiological changes. Heart rate shoots up, breath comes faster and the individual starts perspiring profusely. To deal with the increased requirement for energy, fat and sugar reserves break down. Secretion of stress hormones takes place and digestion and sexual urge slow down, blood pressure and anxiety levels shoot up. Once the brain indicates the threat has been removed, either by removal of the source of stress or adaptation to it, everything goes back to normal. But if the stress is recurrent or the individual is unable to adapt, illnesses like like diabetes, ulcers, arthritis, asthma; bormonal disorders; osteoporosis and vulnerability to fractures; chronic skin disorders and allergies; loss of libido and psychosomatic diseases like how back pain and insomnia afflict him or her.In addition, chronic stress causes the release of glucocorticoids, which induce fat accumulation in the body. This is why stressed people are prone to being obese. Obesity leads to high blood pressure and damage to arteries, which in turn can lead to heart attacks and strokes.Scientists now say that stress begins even before we are born. The foetus suffers physical stress which,if pronounced, can affect its stress system permanently. In addition, genetic abnormalities are known to occur in the stress system. Emotional and physical stress in childhood can can also impair it permanently although, with age, vulnerability to stress decreases.Besides drug therapy and psychiatric counselling, scientists estimate that gene therapy will soon play a role in preventing stress related disorders. But to avoid negative stress, try and set priorities, exercise, lead a healthy lifestyle, take time out for fun activities and relax. Above all think positive.As for the worst case scenario for those preparing for exams or interviews, experts recommend arriving before the appointed time and just soaking in the atmosphere of the place where you will be tested. This should prepare your stress system and prevent a deluge of stress hormones from suffocating your memory.
