Have you ever had a day where your friend or partner snapped at you for no just reason? Or when you felt like yelling, smashing something or coiling back into bed? So out of sorts and overwhelmed? One of the major states that adversely affects our health and well-being is stress. To help you appreciate what the effects of stress are, we’ll first try to help you understand what stress is.
What does it mean to be “stressed”?
Stress occurs when there’s a change in your environment that leads to a physical, mental, emotional or psychological response. It’s a natural reaction that occurs in response to such triggers, leading to a fight-or-flight response.
Now wait! What’s the fight-or-flight response?
The fight-or-flight response is a natural way you body is designed to protect you from harm. During this process, 2 hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, are released. Their aim is to give your body the energy and strength it needs to remove itself from the perceived harm. This reaction is supposed to be short term and once the danger is removed, the hormone levels decline and the body returns to normal. Prolonged exposure to the effects of cortisol and adrenaline is what results in the negative impact on your health.
What are the effects of stress?
There are several. Here’re a few of them.
- Persistent stress can lead to unhealthy habits such as stress-eating, alcoholism or gambling. These in turn further worsen your condition in the long term
- Chronic stress increases your risk of cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension and other heart diseases
- Stress can also result in other physical health issues such as diabetes, hair loss, upset stomach, reduced immunity, headaches, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders and so on
- It results in skin conditions such as breakouts
- Obesity or excessive weight loss is also a common result of stress, due either to the effect of cortisol on the body or the effect of unhealthy habits picked up due to stress, or both
- Stress has a huge mental impact, leading to burnout, lethargy, fatigue, anxiety and depression
- Chronic stress could take a negative toll on your emotional well-being as well, affecting your relationships, as well as concentration and performance at work
Now that we know how stress affects you, let’s see what you can do to reduce it.
