We’ve all said ‘I’m stressed!’, but what does it really mean and how bad is it for your health?
It could be sparked by a big work project or the death of a loved one, it could simply be a bad day or a friend who is constantly ‘stressing you out’. Stress, in other words, is a term we use for a myriad of things meaning several degrees of discomfort: from mild annoyance to debilitating anguish.
However, if we look closer at what stress is, it can help us cope and manage far better.
What Is Stress?
Stress is the body’s natural response to challenges, threats, or demands. It’s a psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when we perceive a situation as requiring more resources or effort than we feel capable of providing.
Stress can be triggered by external factors (work pressure, financial worries, or conflicts) or internal factors (self-criticism, perfectionism, or anxiety).
Acute
Short-term and immediate, often triggered by sudden challenges (e.g. a deadline or an argument). It can be positive (eustress) when it motivates action, or negative (distress) when overwhelming.
Chronic
Ongoing stress that persists over time due to prolonged issues like financial hardship, a toxic relationship, or a demanding job. It is more harmful than acute stress and often leads to serious health problems.
How It Works
When faced with a stressor, the body activates the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that prepares us to face or flee danger. This involves the release of stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate, plus and heightened alertness and a temporary suppression of non-essential functions like digestion and immune response.
Once the stressor is resolved, the body should return to a relaxed state. However, if stress persists, the body remains in a heightened state, leading to negative health effects.
Long-Term Effects
Prolonged stress can be very bad for our health as constant release of adrenaline and cortisol take their toll on a system that simply isn’t designed to withstand over an extended period.
Systems affected include the cardiovascular (risk of hypertension, heart disease, heart attacks), Endocrine (causing weight gain and risk of diabetes), and digestive (risk of IBS and stomach ulcers). In addition, there’s an increased risk of mental health problems including brain fog, memory loss and depression.
Help
Apart from avoiding excess stress, regular exercise, a healthy diet, meditation, good sleep habits, deep breathing, time with those you love, and being in nature, are all excellent ways to heal your exhausted nervous system and allow you to fight another day.
