We all know how stress and anxiety make us feel, but what do you know about their physical and psychological effects, benefits and antidotes?
Keeping with the theme of this week’s issue of Inland 360, Amy Ferguson, Albion Library branch manager for the Whitman County Library, came up with these questions.
The Whitman County Library’s online trivia challenge takes place at 5:30 p.m. the third Thursday of each month on its Facebook page.
- Fill in each blank with either “stress” or “anxiety”: _______ is a physical response to something you feel threatened by. _______ is an emotion that’s triggered by this physical response.
- Your stress response prepares your body to
- A) Sleep.
- B) Fight or run.
- C) Eat large amounts of food.
- D) Cry.
- Can stress be useful to modern humans?
What is a good way to relieve stress?- A) Meditation.
- B) Exercise.
- C) Reading a Book.
- D) All of the above.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress you should always fix it by yourself. True or False?
Answers
- Stress is a physical response to something you feel threatened by. Anxiety is an emotion that’s triggered by stress — you feel apprehensive, nervous or scared.
- B) Fight or run. If you come across an alligator in the river, your stress response sends more oxygen to your brain, tenses your muscles and makes your heart beat faster to get more blood to your limbs in preparation for action. This is known as the “fight-or-flight” response. It works great when you face crocodiles. It’s less useful when you’re just stuck in traffic.
- Yes. You don’t have to run into an alligator to find a use for the stress response today. A little stress-induced anxiety can make your memory and brain work better and may even help make new brain cells. This can help you focus during a crisis at work or if you’re learning a new skill.
- D. All of the above. Research has shown that reading fiction is more effective at reducing stress than listening to music, sipping tea and taking a walk.
False. You should seek help right away if you are having suicidal thoughts, are overwhelmed, feel you can’t cope or are using drugs or alcohol more frequently because of stress. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (800) 273- 8255, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lifeline chat is an online option at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
