RESILIENCE AND STRESS

INTRODUCTION

All of us have felt stress at certain moments in our lives. It happens whenever

life seems to take us all overboard. Have you ever realized that stress affects

our ability to think logically and choose what’s best for us? Let’s find out exactly

how stress affects our brain functions, in the moment and over an extended

period. Think about this: maybe you’re working towards a deadline or have a

challenge with your partner. All of a sudden, you realize you don’t remember

where your keys were or what you were actually talking about. You can’t

mistake the cause for the effect here. Push hormones leading to brain damage

which reduces our ability to store memories for the long term.

Have you ever found that your thoughts get a bit foggy when you’re stressed?

Your thoughts tell you it’s not fair. When push is involved, we are driven to

think about it at the expense of a lot else. Trying to keep the whole book in

sight is tough when there’s someone constantly affecting the music below.

None of us feels clear-minded when having to do things fast.

Short term Effects

There’s an approaching deadline or a struggle with a friend, putting pressure

on you. Soon, you realize you cannot remember where your keys are or what

you talked to someone about lately. That’s not by accident. Cortisol and other

stress hormones cause the brain to forget new things and remember less well.

Ever see how your brain gets fuzzy when you’re stressed? It’s not an empty

idea. Being under stress helps us pay close attention to the thing causing stress,

at the expense of other details .

Long-term Effects

Still, what are the long-term things stress can do to us? Clinical stress can affect

how the brain functions for a long period of time. There is a strong pressure on

your mind that brings on depression-like emotions. After experiencing too much

stress, we find it hard to adapt mentally and solve difficult tasks. The endless

loop in our brain keeps us from finding new ideas or switching to a different

perspective. Because it impacts brain function, you cannot quickly shrug off

stress as a passing sensation. A long period of intense stress will reduce your

ability to think clearly, remember things and make decisions . Realizing the

impact of these stresses gives us control to handle it better, so our minds

remain safe in the years to come The main goal of this text is to show you how

pressure can negatively affect our mental abilities, including memory, focus

RESILIENCE AND STRESS

and making decisions both instantly and in the long term. Its effects can be

seen as forgetfulness and lack of focus for a short time and as brain flexibility

decreasing and/or memory and decision areas shrinking for long-term

consequences. It’s important to realize how stress affects our minds and how

much better we feel when it is managed well.

A key factor in how people handle and adjust to stress is resilience. It describes

the capacity to recover from hardship, trauma, or challenging circumstances

and entails both psychological and emotional adaptability. People that are

resilient often keep a positive attitude, use coping mechanisms, and modify

their behaviour to lessen the damaging effects of stress. Resilience aids in

regulating both the emotional and cognitive reactions to stress. People with

greater resilience, for instance, are better equipped to handle acute stress and

bounce back fast without suffering long-term consequences. This capacity for

recuperation may also lessen the chance that stress may turn into a chronic

condition, which can result in cognitive impairments like memory or

concentration issues.

Resilience is essential for adapting to novel, difficult circumstances in a way

that supports long-term wellbeing. Better coping strategies and more flexible

thought patterns are frequently developed by resilient people, which makes it

simpler for them to handle obstacles in the future. Finding significance in

challenging situations, learning from stressors, and viewing stress as a chance

for personal development rather than a setback are some examples of this

adaptation. All things considered, resilience can serve as a protective barrier

against the negative impacts of stress, fostering improved mental and cognitive

health as well as a greater capacity for overcoming obstacles in life. Resilience

appears as a necessary protective mechanism at this point . Resilience serves a

dual purpose which enables people to endure stress while improving their

ability to learn from it. The ability to demonstrate emotional regulation along

with cognitive flexibility equips resilient people to reduce the neurocognitive

damage caused by chronic stress .