Chapter 6 presents a great deal of information about how stress might affect one’s health by affecting the immune system. Another possible relationship between stress and disease is the relationship between stress and health habits. When people are stressed, their behaviors change, and they often indulge in unhealthy behaviors, which they might not if they were not stressed.
What about you? Examine this relationship between stress and illness by examining either yours or someone you may know, health habits when you/they are under stress. Do you/they become more likely to overeat, drink, smoke, or use drugs as ways to manage stress and feel better? Can you think of some alternative coping strategies that present less risk to your/their health?