Final Post

Stress is a bad relationship each and everyone will at some point in encounter throughout his or her life. At some point, we will all experience a great loss, be behind schedule, or be overwhelmed with life. Though some stress can be good for you, also known as eustress, chronic and acute stress does have negative impacts on your health.  Stress can increase the likelihood of an individual practicing unhealthy behaviors, and it can also be detrimental to the health of an individual. It was  my hope that you were able to identify life stressors within your life, and come up with healthier ways to manage your stress such as becoming more organized, increase physical activity, or seeking professional help from peers. Though this issue isn't highlighted as much as it should, I hope that my blog brought awareness to importance of effectively managing your stress. 

Go Red for Women presents 'Just a little heart attack'

I thought that the below video starring Elizabeth Bank, which was also included in my Powerpoint presentation, would be fun to share. I feel like this is the story of my life as well as so many others. Have a great weekend!

Reference: 

OfficialGoRed4Women. (2011, August 31). Go Red for Women Presents 'Just a little heart attack'.
     Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7wmPWTnDbE&spfreload=10

Presentation Critique

    The video below is a snippet of the presentation I was assigned in class where I discussed healthier ways of managing stress. Before I began presenting, my palms were sweaty, my throat was dry, and I could have passed out any moment, but I got through the presentation. Despite practicing in a mirror multiple times prior to presenting, I was still very nervous. The main critique I have for myself is reading off of the presentation. It is one of my “pet peeves” to read off of the PowerPoint presentation, and I was a little disappointed that I forgot my talking points, and just read what was on the screen. Additionally, I believe that I could have slowed down, elaborated more on what I was saying, and possibly shown a little more enthusiasm. All in all, I was very proud of myself for talking about "Stress" though I was stressed during my presentation. 

 

PSA: Elevated Levels of Stress Can Shrink your Brain

Stressful life situations include losing a job, being late for work, or going through a divorce. At some point, each and every one of us will experience stress within our lifetime. Stress is detrimental to the health of an individual and can cause high blood pressure, high cholesterol, the development of heart disease, and even death (AHA, 2014). A recent study conducted by Yale researchers has shown that elevated levels of stress can cause the gray matter in the vital regions of the brain that control emotion and physiological function [i.e. blood pressure or blood sugar levels] to shrink (Hathaway, 2012, para. 1). The study included 103 healthy individuals who expressed during interview about experiencing a traumatic stress or life event. The differences in the brain’s gray matter were visible shortly after stressful events occurred. Not only does this type of stress affect our physical health, but can have a negative impact on our mental health as well.

                       References

American Heart Association. (Jun 2014). Stress and heart health. Retrieved from
   http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/HowDoes
   StressAffectYou/Stress-and-Heart-Health_UCM_437370_Article.jsp

Hathaway, B. (13 Jun 2014). Even in the healthy, stress causes brain to shrink, Yale study shows.
     YaleNews. Retrieved from http://www.news.yale.edu/2012/01/09/even-healthy-stress-causes-
     brain-shrink-yale-study-shows

Introduction

Hello my name is Kelsi Walker and I am a graduate student at Texas Woman's University. I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Health Studies with an emphasis in Population Health. Additionally, I am actively studying for matriculation into medical school, in which I will be applying next year.

I have variety of interests, particularly that of childhood and adult obesity; however, my current interest focuses on the impact stress has on the development of heart disease.  As a new mother [I've been a mom for over a year now, and it still feels like having two left feet], wife, student, and full-time professional, I have personally had an ongoing relationship with stress. Studies have shown that stress has a negative impact on the overall health of an individual, often times leading to death.

I will be exploring this issue in this blog, and hope that you find the information presented to be applicable, informative, and interesting.