What can I do when stress affects my body?

The effects of stress may seem really clear. However, most people are aware of being stressed just when they have been suffering its symptoms for a long period of time. But beyond some of the most obvious signs, there can be other more subtle consequences for your body. As a starting point, we need to understand what stress is.

What is stress?

In medical terms, stress is tension in the body or mind caused by physical, emotional or psychological factors. Clearly, there is often a link between the different factors. An easy example being that physical tension can lead to heightened mental tension.

The effects of stress on your body

The origins of stress occur when we perceive we are under threat. It doesn’t matter if the threat is real or imagined, it will still stimulate the much-talked-about fight-or-flight response.

This is an automatic chemical response. As a result, you may notice these effects on your body:

  • Your heart-rate will increase.
  • Your breathing will quicken.
  • Rigid muscles.
  • A rise in your blood pressure.

All of them are part of a natural biological response preparing us to deal with the danger.

The body will ordinarily return back to its normal state if the cause of the stress is a one-off or isolated event. These episodic incidents are fairly normal and are referred to as ‘acute’ stress.

The more harmful impact of stress normally occurs when the stress becomes ‘chronic. In this situation, you have repeated situations that you feel threatened by and they keep your physiology unnaturally stimulated with little or no time for the body to renormalise.

Consequently, the physiological tension builds and causes a cascade of emotional and psychological symptoms along with it.

Recognising the symptoms of stress on your body

There are a large number of symptoms of stress, probably too numerous to mention in this short article. But some of the clear physical signs you can look out for include:

  • Repeated headaches
  • Chest pains
  • Stomach ache
  • Muscle tension
  • Low energy levels
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Insomnia
  • Dry mouth
  • Ringing in the ears
  • Unnerving changes in your behaviour
  • Changes in appetite
  • Increased procrastination
  • Increased use of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes

All them are an indicative of the potential for underlying stress issues. If you suspect you are suffering from chronic stress, it is vital that you do not ignore the signs and look for help. Longer term, chronic stress can have serious consequences. These might include any of the following; skin and hair problems, eating disorders, gastritis or menstrual problems. In the worst cases, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, depression or serious mental health issues.

What to do next

If you suspect you have eating disorder due to stress, your first port of call should be a nutritionist, and for cases in an advance stage an eating disorder center. You will need a clear diagnosis of how stressed you are and guidance on whether you need any psychological interventions such as individual psychotherapy or counseling. Rosewood Ranch is an inpatient behavioral facility which treats adults with the most severe eating disorders.

At the same time, don’t underestimate the value in taking time out to focus on yourself. In particular, making an effort to be more attentive to your physical health can lead you on a more positive path. At this point taking care of you must be your priority.

Remedial therapies such as any style of massage or reflexology can have an incredibly calming effect and will help to relieve muscle tension. Also, you may try aromatherapy to relax and calm yourself. In addition, there are activities such as yoga or Pilates that put a strong emphasis on proper breathing technique that can work wonders. Also, you can try meditation to connect your body and mind.

We hope this information is useful for you. If you have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us in Mill Hill Broadway and Islington. If you like this blog, please share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

xxx hd
×