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How to cope with stress and live happier, healthier lives?

    Health

2019.09.11

1min | Video

Work, school, university... Stress is a familiar feeling for many of us. Though inevitable, it can be accommodated to avoid undue hardship and to prevent long-term damage to our health. Two AXA Research Fund grantees, psychologist Dr. Annie Ginty, from the Baylor University, and Dr. Sarah Pressman, from the University of California-Irvine, have brought together their expertise to produce a series of three short videos on how to cope with stress, based on the experience of students.

The three short videos produced are primarily intended for students going through the stressful transition from high school to college, but the coping mechanisms hold for everyone going through a period of adjustment.

Part 1: The Impact of Stress on our Health

Part2: The effects of Stress on our Body

Part 3: Coping with Stress

There is good stress, and then there is bad stress. The psychological kind, as opposed to the physical kind, takes a genuine toll on the body. Loss of sleep, bad diet, muscle tensions, skin problems, migraines… The immediate negative effects are just the tip of the iceberg. In the long run, it can lead to more serious conditions, including cardiovascular disease.  

The good news is that by understanding the impact stress has on our body, we can take the necessary steps to develop coping mechanisms and thereby reduce stress. Such is the line of reasoning and motivation behind Stress and your Health.

The scientific ground on which the short video series is built stems from the research both Dr. Annie Ginty and Dr. Sarah Pressman, conducted in the context of the AXA grant. Their complementary approaches – the first covering student’s physiological reaction to acute stress, the other investigating the positive emotions that can serve as buffer against negative impacts –, brought them naturally to collaborate.