Stress is a condition we can all relate to in an everyday sense. There is stress all around us, in the work place, at home and in emotional contexts. Stress, in all of these contexts, does not serve our bodies well. What do you know about the effects of stress on the body? Stressful situations usually have negative effects on our general health and bear a closer look.
Stress can take on many faces, with varying causes and resolutions. Much of the effects of stress on the body depend on your personality and emotions. While Joe may be able to deal with stress efficiently, you may find your threshold considerably lower. Where Joe thrives, you may be reduced to a bundle of nerves, unable to process information or think clearly. While Joe’s calm personality can take an important deadline in stride, focusing clearly on the goal, others not so gifted may be overwhelmed by perceived demands they feel they are unable to meet.
Unfortunately, the physical effects of stress on the body can be enormously detrimental to our physical and emotional health. The effects of stress on the body can be subtle, but over the long run they are deadly. The long-term effects of stress on the body can be even more alarming. Although it has taken science a long time to acknowledge this fact, stress shortens our lives. The effects of stress on the body are tremendous. Increased risk of heart disease, nervous breakdowns, stomach ulcers, tension headaches, and an increased susceptibility to infection are just a few of the things that stress can do to us.. There’s not a single effect of stress on the body that is not detrimental. Although in the short run, stress can be a good thing giving us the ability to react to the situation quickly and resolve it as immediately as possible in the long run, it is always a bad thing. Yet many of us live with stress day in and day out for years at a time.
The short-term effects of stress on the human body are well known. When we are under stress, we have increased heart rate, thoughts that race, tense muscles, and adrenaline rushes. With extreme stress, we can get agitated and have a hard time sitting still. Stress is basically the human bodies fight or flight mechanism kicking in. The effects of stress on the mind are similarly well-known. We can get paranoid, frightened, aggressive, or hyperactive. It varies considerably from person to person, but it is quite easy to tell when you or someone you know is under an immediate stress. Then again, the long-term effects are much more subtle.
Stress can most certainly affect our behavior, leading to disadvantages in a social context, as well as negative lifestyle behaviors, such as over-eating, smoking and drinking excessively. Others may manifest effects of stress on the body in less obvious ways.
Although emotionally drained, over-stressed people may become obsessed with their work in an attempt to eradicate the source of their stress. Such people often spend undue amounts of time worrying, skipping meals and exercise, all in the hopes of eradicating the source of pressure. In fact, these strategies are counter productive to Stress Management. Generally, people who employ such strategies are only worsening the situation. If you focus your energies on meeting that deadline or else, to the exclusion of eating or sleeping, the end result is seen in the eventual physical effects of stress on the body.
Stress most commonly manifests in disease of the heart. This link is well known to your physician. High blood pressure and a high standing pulse rate are indicative of stress. The sheer tension of stress can damage arteries, while reducing healthy blood and oxygen flow. Your body attempts to heal the damaged arteries, forming scars and thickened artery walls. All of these factors can eventually lead to heart attack.
Another of the negative effects of stress on the body is marked depletion of immune system function, which results in frequent colds and flus. More serious effects of stress on the body include exacerbated arthritis, irritable bowel, ulcers and headaches. Studies conducted as early as the 1950’s showed a link between cancer and stress.
There are medications that can help us deal with stress, but none of these really provide a solution. The only way to cope with the effects of stress on the body is to get some help. Help can come in the form of therapy, meditation, counseling, or massages. Basically, anything that relaxes you and that you do regularly is an effective antidote to stress. The effects of stress on the body, however, may ultimately require you to change your lifestyle. You may have to work less, spend more time doing things that you enjoy, and generally learn to relax. This is not such a bad thing! In the process of fighting the effects of stress on the mind and body, you will also learn to enjoy your life. What else is life for, after all?
With all of these dire consequences of the effects of stress on the body, we’d all do well to focus on positive changes in diet and lifestyle to eliminate undue stress. Listening to music, exercise and a more laid back perspective are keys to good health.