“You need to relax.” This phrase is one that most people hear on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. It's difficult to deal with situations that put a strain on the body, such as problems in a relationship, at work, or at home. To try to adapt to the situation, the body goes into panic mode. If the emotions associated with these events remain constant, they can begin to impact physical and mental health. Physical symptoms take a toll on mental health because the individual begins to worry about them. The individual gets lost in a vicious circle. Stress is “the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response.” Many people realize that stress has a great impact on psychological health; however, they do not realize that physical health can also be affected. When the body is subjected to stress, physiological changes occur, such as increased heart rate or blood pressure. Many people don't know the extent to which stress can impact their body because they can't see the changes taking place. If stress is prolonged, physical symptoms may begin to appear. These symptoms are real; however, they may or may not be due to some type of physical ailment. Stress-induced anxiety can begin to form in the individual due to the constant fear of having a serious medical condition. The cycle will repeat with potentially worsening symptoms. A psychosomatic illness “is an illness that involves both the mind [psyche] and the body [soma]” and “is believed to be caused, or worsened, by mental factors.” These mental factors include stress and anxiety. Stress causes the release of a wide variety of hormones in the...... middle of paper ...... regarding their health. Works Cited Goldenson, Robert M. The Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1970. Green, Anthony L. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2008.Guralnik, David B. Webster's Dictionary of the New World. Englewood Cliffs: William Collins + World Publishing CO., Inc., 1974. Hacker, Jeffrey H. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Grolier Incorporated, 1991. Kenny, Dr. Tim. Psychosomatic disorders. 1 May 2011. http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Psychosomatic-Disorders.htm (accessed 2 December 2013). Kumar, Anil, Puneet Rinwa, Gurleen Kaur and Lalit Machawal. "Stress: neurobiology, consequences and management". Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 2013: 1-7.Sutherland, Stuart. Discovering the human mind. London: John Canova, 1982.Wilson, John Rowan. The mind. Alexandria: Time-Life Books Inc., 1980.