In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure).
If you tend to get stressed out frequently—as many of us do in today’s demanding world—your body may be in a heightened state of stress most of the time. And that can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can suppress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
It is also believed that stress contributes to heart diseases, high blood pressure, strokes, and many other diseases. In addition, this affects our immune system, the system that protects us from other serious diseases.
Health problems caused or exacerbated by stress include:
Depression and anxiety
Pain of any kind
Sleep problems
Autoimmune diseases
Digestive problems
Skin conditions, such as eczema
Heart disease
Weight problems
Reproductive issues
Thinking and memory problems
Many circumstances may cause you to be stress. You just have to identify them so you can create steps in order to adapt the situation. These causes are called stressors. They can be physically, emotionally, internal or external produced stressors.
An example of this that can cause stress is your physical condition, like if you are experiencing pain, hot or cold temperature. Stressful environment like poor working condition or foul relationships can also be a cause of stress.
Other factors that may cause stress are the following:
– Uneven noise
– Crowded room
– Loneliness or separation from a partner
– Hunger
– Infection
Now, if stress is the result of the changes that happening in our body then we cannot avoid it. But what can we do? One very important thing is that we should know its symptoms. You will never know you that you are already suffering from it if you do now what are its indications.
Listed below are the symptoms of stress.
Physically you will experience:
– Heart pounding
– Headache
– Sweating and sweaty palms
– Stiff neck
– Indigestion
– Backache
– Skin break out
– Upset stomach such as nausea or diarrhea
– Shortness of breathing
– Sleeplessness/sleeping too much
– Fatigue
– Cold hands
Emotionally you easily:
– Become moody and irritable
– Lose your temper very often
– Feel depressed
– Lack of sense of humor
– Feel nervous
– Feel inferior of what you have
– Worry too much about unimportant matters
And mentally you are:
– Forgetful
– Confused
– Having poor of judgment
– Disorganize
– Unclear perceptions
Knowing that we cannot really avoid stress it is important that we know the symptoms. Now, in order to lessen our stress we should learn how to manage it. Here are some tips in reducing stress.
Do yourself a favor and buy something that will give you comfort.
Make yourself busy doing more enjoyable activities.
Learn to moderate your physical reactions to stress.
If necessary, have some nature tripping that will really help you feel more relaxed.
After busy working days, treat yourself on a vacation.
Take a short break every after meal to relax.
Always wear clothes that are comfortable to you whenever possible.
Express yourself, avoid being too secretive about what you feel.
Eat well-balanced and nutritious meal.
If you feel you are experiencing stress, do not be afraid to follow the above tips. They are not risky; instead, they can help with your condition.
And bear in mind; take care of yourself because you are the only person who will suffer if you abuse yourself from too much stress. Remember stress can be a cause of many life-threatening diseases. So, in order to avoid that, please be gentle with yourself.
reference and resources:
medicine.net
helpguide.org
plr article
pixabay.com