Effects of Stress on the Body

Effects of stress on the body can be devastating to your health. Everyone experiences stress but prolonged exposure can cause you even more because of health problems associated with this state of anxiety.

How Stress Affects the Body

When you encounter a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable or fearful, the first thing that happens in your body is your mind sends out a message indicating a threat is present. This message signals hormones that set off a fight or flight response. This fight or flight response is getting you ready to either get the threat away from you or ready to run away from it. In order to get ready for this, your heart may start beating faster, your blood pressure may rise and your muscles can become tense. Once the perceived threat is no longer present, your body will return to its relaxed state. Sometimes people who experience chronic levels of anxiety, their bodies do not return to the relaxed state after the threat has disappeared. This means the body continues to function at this heightened level causing damage to bodily functions.

The Effects of Stress on the Body and Your Health

As many as 90% of visits to a doctor are due to illnesses and health problems because of stress. It can be hard to believe your anxiety over normal everyday stressors can affect your health. The list of medical problems due to prolonged exposure to stressors is extensive.

• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Canker sores
• Headaches or migraines
• Tension in joints
• Lower immune system
• Heart problems
• Diabetes
• Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rashes, or hives
• Asthma
• Arthritis
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Backaches
• Muscle tension
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Insomnia
• Chest pain
• Weight gain or loss
• Decrease in sex drive
• Ulcers
• Hyperthyroidism
• Cancer
• Tooth and gum disease

Behavioral and Mental Health Effects

Not only will you find your health declining from stress but you may also find you are having behavioral and mental health issues. Many people report the following behavioral problems:

• Irritability
• Confrontational
• Drinking more alcohol
• Increase in smoking
• Using illegal drugs or abusing prescription drugs
• Indecisiveness
• Making rash choices
• Involvement in riskier situations
• Isolation
• Avoiding responsibilities
• Increase in bad habits (nail biting, grinding teeth, etc.)

Many people who experience medical problems as well as behavioral problems due to stressors also report having mental health issues such as:

• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Substance abuse

Ways to Combat Health Problems Due to Stress

You can lessen the effects of stress on the body by training your body to return to its relaxed state quickly. Here are some ways you can help decrease the levels of anxiety your body reaches because of stressors.

• Exercise

Take a walk or go for a run to help your body use the energy it has built up over the day. Exercising releases endorphins, which are hormones that give you a natural high helping you feel better about a situation and about yourself.

• Yoga or Meditation

Yoga and meditation use breathing to decrease physiological responses. Once you learn how to do these well, you will be able to do it in many different situations even in times of crisis.

• Prevention

You can't prevent all crisis' or stressors but you can take steps to lessen the amount and degree of them. As you plan your day, do not overload your schedule. Make a schedule so you are productive but leave yourself some room for breaks and time to deal with the unexpected.

What is Burnout and What to do About It

Experiencing high levels of anxiety will lower your productivity levels at work and make you feel unhappy in life. Stressed out people many times do not even know it until they have reached burnout. Burnout causes you to make decisions you normally wouldn't make such as quit your job. When you feel burned out, the best thing to do is take a break. Removing yourself from a difficult situation will give you a chance to figure things out and return to it with a new perspective and energy to handle it much more effectively.

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