By Charlotte Webster-

A deep argument, a natural catastrophe, a failed relationship, can all have long-term effects on the brain which can lead to neuropsychiatric disorder, or even lead to post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)

 A short period of stress is scientifically proven to raise the release of glutamate -an excitatory transmitter in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that can affect the brain on a long-term basis.

 Glutamate release in PFC lasts for at least 24 hours after stress. They also found that after 24 hours significant atrophy of apical dendrites (the receiving part of neurones containing receptors for glutamate) is observed in PFC. Dendrite atrophy is conventionally measured after weeks of chronic stress in stress-based animal models.

There is a clear difference between the effects of acute and chronic stress. A single exposure to stress may be acute, but more than one exposure to stress can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress can affect even the way we respond to people and situations, yet the affected parties will never know that the individual in question is suffering from chronic stress. The immune system can eventually develop an atrophy, which is when the cells degenerate and wither away.

A dendrite atrophy can be in the system for up to 2 weeks after stress. These stress-related changes can affect the way we think, the way we reflect on situations and circumstances, and can have damning effects. Recognising the presence of these types of stress can enable you to address them by consciously calmly taking a relaxed and strategic approach to situations. For instance, instead of using an aggressive tone, an individual can consciously calm their tone down and communicate their point.

Addressing people and situations under stress often affects what you say and your body language, which can go a long way in determining the kind of response you get. Stress related arguments and thoughts should be minimised since we never know in what ways it can affect our own well -being, and even our chances of success in certain aspects of life which would be significantly different without the stress.