6 Ways Stress is Killing You

Stress is part of everyone's life today. It is how the body responds to a situation that requires a reaction or adjustment. The body has a natural mechanism to react to stress, and the changes required in response to stress could be physical, emotional or mental.

Stress is not always bad - it keeps a person alert and avoids danger. However, continued stressful conditions can take a toll on a person's well being.

How stress affects health

Each person has a different way of dealing with stressful conditions, and everybody has a different scale of reaction to a particular stressful event. What may feel normal for one person may completely stress out another, but beyond a point, stress overload affects everyone. Here's how:

1. Higher anxiety levels- One of the first responses to stress is anxiety and a state of panic. In severe cases, stress can cause panic attacks, which can be recurrent in response to a recurring stressful event.
2. Lowered immunity- Though there is no direct evidence to prove this theory, stress is believed to weaken the ability of a person to fight infection.
3. Depression - Chronic stress can lead to depression where the person loses interest and hope of finding a solution to the problem. Rather, s/he loses control of the situation at hand and lets negative emotions take a toll on his/her mental and emotional wellbeing. Severe depression can lead to substance abuse and suicidal tendencies.
4. Substance abuse (drug, alcohol, smoking) - In a state of stress, a person subconsciously gravitates towards drugs, alcohol, and smoking or even binge eating to find temporary relief from the problem, only to get addicted to it. This leads to a host of disorders.
5. Disrupting bowel function - Many people experience irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), believed to be caused by brain's nerves' interaction with brain chemicals or a lowered immune system.
6. Increased risk or worsening of diseases- Continued negative stress leads to a state of distress. Distress can manifest itself in a variety of physical symptoms like headaches, high blood pressure, sleep deprivation and chest pain. Stress and anxiety may also increase the risk of certain diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Knowing when stress becomes unmanageable

It is important to manage stress in time before it makes the body susceptible to a host of physical, emotional and mental ailments.

The warning signs of stress begin to show when a person finds himself/herself:

• Incapable of coping with the situation and feels lost all the time.
• Battling physical symptoms like body aches, headache, fatigue, interrupted sleep, loss of appetite and concentration, etc.
• Lack of interest in maintaining relationships with family, friends and colleagues.

Sources:

"Stress Symptoms," WebMD.com, https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body

"The Effects of Stress on Your Body," WebMD.com, https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body