Stress and Behavior Change
Stressful events harm an individual’s behavior. The extent to which a stressful event affects the behavioral pattern of an individual, however, varies. Some individuals adapt quickly to stressful events, while others are affected severely. The fact that stress has cognitive impacts on the brain of a victim means that the functioning of their brain will also be affected. Besides, the behavioral pattern of a person is controlled from the brain. The first experience in stress is always challenging to deal with and may have detrimental impacts on one’s behavior. The impact of stress on one’s behavior could either be positive or negative and depends on the ability of the victim to manage it.
Stress is normal in life, and different situations can make people stressed. However, the ability of a person to manage stress determines whether or not they will receive positive outcomes (Romeo, 2017). Stress may act as motivation for improvement or as the reason a person surrenders. One of the experiences I encountered, and that changed, and that changed my behavior was the loss of my first job. Mostly, job loss is accompanied by a major downfall, especially when it hits without expectation. The transition of my employer company led to the laying off of employees, and I was one of the unfortunate employees. Also, the short period I had been employed as well as the financial responsibilities I carried did not allow me to make an investment that would support my life in case of a job loss. Therefore, I was left without a source of income, and my financial obligation left me traumatized. Moreover, my behavior was severely impacted as I sought for ways of overcoming the situation.
The loss of a job places an individual in a situation that may change their behavior in a bid to stay away from the reality of life. My first behavioral change came when I started drinking heavily to avoid the many thoughts that were disturbing me. Also, my life was significantly destroyed since most of my friends were still employed, and I did not feel comfortable around them. My family also felt the change in m behavior since I distanced myself from them and stopped providing for them. Generally, stress makes an individual go through a phase of life that they were not used to, and some of the impacts may have detrimental impacts (Debora, Baba & Gomathi, 2018). Also, the period within which stress affects a victim may determine the extent to which the victim will be affected. In my case, for example, earlier detection and the intervention of a psychologist saved me from more negative impacts. Furthermore, behavioral changes may lead to negative health impacts, where the behavior of the victim is risky.
In sum, the ability of an individual to manage stress determines the impacts that the situation will have on their behavior and health. Although stressful situations are normal in life, the fact that they may have negative impacts on the behavior of an individual means that stress should be given special attention. Also, stressful situations could have positive impacts where a victim uses the situation as motivation for improvement. Generally, the period within which an individual stays in a stressful situation determines the extent to which the victim will be affected.
References
Debora, M. S. J., Baba, V., & Gomathi, S. (2018). Impact of stress on health. Narayana Nursing Journal, 5(3), 11-14.
Romeo, R. D. (2017). The impact of stress on the structure of the adolescent brain: Implications for adolescent mental health. Brain research, 1654, 185-191.