Cherine RolleMercy CollegeMarch 22, 2014In the 2008 National Geographic documentary Stress, Robert Sapolsky and other scientists explain the deadly consequences of prolonged stress. “If you're a normal mammal,” Sapolsky says, “stress is three minutes of screaming in terror on the savannah, and then it's either over or you're over.” During those three minutes of terror, the body responds to imminent danger by releasing stress hormones that stimulate heart rate and blood pressure while inhibiting other functions, such as digestion, growth and reproduction.(http://www.openculture.com/ 2012/08 )Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or that upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger, real or imagined, your body's defenses kick into action in a rapid, automatic process known as the "fight or flight or freeze" reaction or stress response. www.stress.org/what-is-stress) What once helped us survive now makes us physically and mentally unfit. The researchers in the documentary talk about how stress can become a problem that can be very dangerous. When we allow most of our daily lives to stress us out; the warning signs we face when we have stress are: cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms. There are many signs of a stressed person. The worst cases are those who may not realize they are under stress. Many times we tend to put things on the back burner instead of addressing them directly. The cognitive symptoms of stress are memory problems. You may tend to forget what your main goal is or sometimes even what your purpose is. You may not remember the activities you intended to do. You see…middle of the paper…how yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body's relaxation response, a state of rest that is the opposite of the stress response. ▪ Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. There's nothing like aerobic exercise to release pent-up stress and tension. ▪ Follow a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to deal with stress. Start your day with a healthy breakfast, reduce your caffeine and sugar intake, and reduce your alcohol and nicotine intake. ▪ Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally. Stay calm by getting a good night's sleep. (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm) References: http://www.openculture.com/2012/08 http://www.stress. org/what-is-stresshttp://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm