In our hectic, modern day lives, stress has become more prevalent than ever. With increased workloads, tight deadlines, and family obligations, stress can often become unmanageable. Unmanageable stress can have significant implications on both our professional and personal lives, as well as our physical and mental health. Understanding the consequences of stress and taking steps to manage it can help us lead healthy, balanced lives.
At its core, stress is a mental and physiological response to an outside stimulus. Our bodies manual defense mechanism, the fight-or-flight response, is activated in times of high stress and danger. During these times, our body rapidly releases hormones and neurotransmitters that result in increased heart rate, breathing rate, and muscle tension. In turn, this can make us more alert and prepare us to respond to a perceived threat.
The trouble begins when we experience long-term, excessive amounts of stress. Short term exposure to stressful situations can actually be beneficial to us. After all, it is our body’s natural way of staying safe and alert in the face of danger. Prolonged exposure, however, can be dangerous. Chronic stress is often linked to a wide variety of physical and mental conditions which can significantly interfere with our everyday lives.
Mentally, prolonged exposure to stress can result in sleep disruption, anger management issues, anxiousness, and depression. These can often lead to more serious mental health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders. Combatting these extreme thoughts and emotions is difficult and can require therapeutic treatment.
Physically, long-term exposure to stress can also have serious consequences. While short-term stress can result in increased heart rate and breathing, prolonged exposure can lead to chronic hypertension, an increased risk of respiratory problems and cardiovascular disease, digestive issues, and even a weakened immune system.
Most damaging, however, is stress’s ability to create a state of chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been implicated in a number of diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Fortunately, there are ways to combat stress and the negative implications it can have. Replacing unhealthy habits with conscious coping strategies such as mindfulness exercises, learning how to manage work-related stress, and improving our nutrition can help reduce our stress levels dramatically. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and recognizing when to take a break can also be instrumental in managing our stress levels.
Although we can’t completely eliminate stress, we can take preventative measures to significantly reduce its effects on our mental and physical health. Understanding its causes and recognizing when we need to alter our behaviors, can help prevent long-term health implications and allow us to lead our fullest possible lives.