Short Response Critical Thinking Example

Day to day experiences, both good and bad, tend to create stress in human beings. Since human body responds to stress by releasing various kinds of hormones, stress is more likely to have several physiological effects in the body. Stress affects almost all functional systems of the body. To counter various bodily responses individuals tend to indulge in behaviors that are directly and indirectly harmful to the body. For example, as an individual having family responsibilities, I was required to study and work simultaneously to support my family and studies. My multiple responsibilities gave me acute mental stress. This often prompted me to work during late hours in the night, sometimes skipping my meals. My food habits slowly changed, as I ate more junk foods. I also took to smoking, which was harmful to my body. I had to encounter many sleepless nights that motivated me to rely on sleeping pills. As a result, my body reacted by creating peptic ulcer that required medication. The situation went worse during my exams. Stress began to mount up at the thought of preparing for the exam and the possibility of getting poor grades. I felt mood swings and began to develop suicidal tendencies as well. I also experienced stress adversely influencing my interpersonal communication and relationship with family members and colleagues.
Researches show that feeling stressed over a long period of time proves detrimental to both mental and physical health. Feeling stressed for a long period of leads to the release of various corticosteroids in the blood streams which harm the body. Chronic stress lowers the level of certain proteins in the immune cells that are critical to signaling. As a result, the immune system of the body fails to function properly thereby exposing the body to various diseases like arthritis, lupus, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
If, I were to win the Powerball Lottery tomorrow, I believe the acute stress I feel because of the need for money will considerably diminish since I would not have to work in the late hours. But, I would not say that money would buy me happiness always. Recent studies have reiterated that when offered the choices of money and well being, well being is the obvious choice of majority of the individuals. I definitely do not buy into the theory that ‘money can buy happiness.’ Even though spending money wisely can increase one’s pleasure and satisfaction, money cannot give inner peace and joy that are the prerequisites for real happiness in life. For instance, a person, who is physically healthy and financially poor, is happier than another person who is financially well-off and chronically sick. Money cannot buy health and good family relationships, two essential things for making individuals happy. Of course, money does take care of many human needs, and reduce stress level to a certain extent. Conversely, the greed for money and the belief that money is everything in life, and resulting thirst to make money gives more stress to individuals than poverty itself. More often, the thought of losing one’s wealth and responsibility of maintaining the same make the rich restless.
Mostly, happiest people on the earth have various reasons and personal attributes that make them happy. First and foremost, they are always proactive and thankful for what they have. This gives them the feeling of satisfaction and prevents them to take risks to make more money. Secondly, happy people always live in the present moment. They enjoy the present moment to the fullest, and neither regret about their past nor worry about the uncertainties the future has in store for them. Thirdly, happy individuals are highly adaptable to any situation. In other words, living in a castle and a hut means the same to them. Adaptability always keeps them happy since they never worry about the unpredictable nature of the life events.