A certain amount of stress is completely normal for most people. When stress is managed well, with proper outlets and using good tools to keep it at a manageable level, you don’t face too many risks for illness.
When it’s not managed appropriately, stress-related illness can occur. There are certain hormones and chemicals your brain releases when stressed that are important to your health. You know what they say, though, about too much of a good thing.
We have all heard of “fight or flight” as a body’s way of responding to situations it doesn’t fully understand or can’t cope with well.
When you are enduring an overabundance of stress, your body will switch into this response mode, and stay in it for sustained periods. You are not designed to be in this mode for long stretches.
Keeping your body and mind in this vicious cycle will eventually cause you to be ill. The stress-induced illnesses may manifest in different ways.
Mental Health
One of the most common results of an abundance of stress in your life is mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and panic disorders.
The triggers of stress for these conditions can often be related to regular difficulties at home, an unsatisfactory job situation, or a poor relationship.
There is a variety of ways to manage stress to minimize the onset of these disorders. Seeking counseling, looking to your hobbies as a relief when home from work or reevaluating relationships may help you find the balance you need to alleviate some key stressors.
Skin and Hair Changes
As a teenager’s body is changing rapidly from the onset of a plethora of new hormones, there may be another contributor to the typical acne most teens endure: stress. High school is commonly an incredibly stressful time in one’s life, and this may manifest in poor skin.
Even as an adult, your skin may pay for your stress even after the major hormonal changes of years past. As has been thoroughly researched, the additional cortisol your body releases in response to stress can cause changes in your skin and hair – and unpleasant ones, at that.
Hair loss and acne are common signs that your stress levels may be reaching levels out of your control. If you notice these changes, take some time to evaluate triggers and look into ways to reduce your stress.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Whenever some people think of stress, the word ulcer is often associated with it – and for good reason. Stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal issues like IBS have been found to be related to high amounts of stress in some cases.
Tied to stress is often the desire to eat too much, as well as to eat foods that are sweeter and unhealthier. As a result, your gastrointestinal tract can pay for the poor eating habits that may become a coping mechanism due to stress.
Creating a healthy diet that works with your life and schedule, paired with a good workout routine, may help curb your appetite and get you back on track. Maintaining a healthy body will help release endorphins that may help combat some of the negative effects of cortisol.
High Blood Pressure/Heart Issues
One of the scariest manifestations of high levels of stress is related to your heart. Several avenues take stress straight to the heart and make it unhealthy.
Perhaps you have been overeating as a result of high stress, which in turn causes obesity and diabetes. Both of these conditions have a direct link to heart function and blood pressure.
A more direct way is how your heart pumps as a result of stress. When you are in that “fight or flight” mode for prolonged periods, your heart rate elevates to dangerous levels and stays there. This elevation can cause high blood pressure, as well as stress to the heart muscle itself from beating too hard and fast.
High levels of stress may make you feel hopeless and helpless. It’s important to remember that there are tools to help manage stress levels and bring them to a feasible level. Talk to your health care team to create the best gameplan for managing your stress in the healthiest way possible.
Solyndria Creative 