Physical Effects of Stress on Health and Wellbeing
Learning how to deal with the physical effects of stress is extremely important for your health. In this frenetic world many people are under pressure and even minor pressure can turn into stress. Stress is detrimental to your health especially if you’re feeling stressed over a long period. This is known as chronic stress.
Before we can discuss stress-relief measures we need to have a look, not only at what causes stress but also at the physical effects of stress. I’m sure that most of you have heard about the ‘fight or flight’ response but I’ll briefly go over it to make sure that it’s fully understood.
When you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by releasing stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These are the hormones that get the body ready to take emergency action. This response is your body’s way of protecting you and, when it works properly, it helps you stay focused and ready for action.
So, in other words, when you bump into an intruder in the middle of the night you may stay and fight him – as I did when I was attacked some years ago – or you may run and get as far away from the threat as you can.
How Fight or Flight Works
It is the hormones mentioned above that provide you with the vital energy needed for you to attack or flee. Remember it’s difficult to predict how you will react in any given situation. As I write I’m thinking about another occasion when I responded to screaming and found my employer under attack, but on that occasion I turned and ran screaming for help. As it turned out this was the right thing to do as the two attackers thought that I was summoning someone that might be armed – and fortunately they left the premises in a hurry.
The intruders on this occasion were particularly dangerous gangsters. The outcome could have been very different had I remained and argued with them, as I had done in my previous encounter. These two attacks were examples of an acute stressor but, although I was extremely frightened at the time, I quickly recovered.
Acute stressors affect you over the short term, but chronic stressors affect you over the long term. It is the relatively long-term stressors that cause disease and these can have a lasting effect.
If the stressor persists you will need to employ some kind of coping mechanism to handle the stress. Although your body begins to adapt, it cannot keep this up indefinitely. Its resources gradually become depleted and the physical effects of stress will begin to show.
Exhaustion and Physical Effects of Stress
Exhaustion will gradually begin to set in as your body's resources are slowly but completely depleted. When this happens you’ll be unable to maintain normal functions. Because of the damage that stress can cause to your body it is important to know not only your limit but also the signs of chronic stress.
When the symptoms that you initially experienced, such as sweating and a raised heart rate, begin to reappear, long-term damage may result if the situation does not improve. Furthermore, your body's immune system will become exhausted.
The most dangerous thing about chronic stress is how easily it creeps up on you and affects your mind, your body and your behaviour.
Since everyone is unique and has a unique response to stress, there is no single solution to managing it. It is important to remember that no single method works for everyone, or in every situation. So if you’re feeling as if your life is out of control you should deal with the problem immediately. Do something about it before your physical and emotional well-being is impacted by stress.
How to Deal with Stress and the Physical Effects
With the suicide rate increasing around the world it has become extremely important to deal with stress, and the physical effects. The following ideas may help:
- Exercise
- Relaxation techniques
- Sufficient rest
- Healthy diet
- A relaxing hobby or activity
- Meditation
- Counselling
- Talking with friends and family
- Taking responsibility
- Forgiving
- Get organized
- Say NO sometimes
- Don’t obsess
Meditation and the Physical Effects of Stress
Meditation can mean different things to different people. You might find a walk on a beautiful beach on a warm morning or evening is all that you can manage, while another person might enjoy a simple meditation.
Get Sufficient Rest to Handle Stress
Your body operates in accordance with a circadian rhythm (24-hour body clock) and it this gets out of sync you could suffer from various sleep disorders. This could mean that you struggle to go to sleep. It could also mean that you wake after a few minutes, or have periods of wakefulness during the night or early in the morning.
It’s important to get your circadian rhythm back in line and the best way to do this is to have regular sleep habits. A regular going-to-bed routine will put you on the right track. By this I mean that you should go through the same routine every night at the same time so that your body, and your brain, can prepare for sleep.
You should also wake up at the same time every morning, whether it be a week day or over the weekend.
Having a TV or tablet etc. in your bedroom is not advised unless you’re listening to relaxation or meditation podcasts.
Talking Helps the Physical Effects of Stress
Remember that other people can’t read your mind! If you’re having trouble in any relationship you need to express your feelings. It’s important to share your feelings with your friends and family as this is the only way that you can get your needs met. Feelings of inadequacy cause unnecessary stress which in turn will cause disease – but you might be pleasantly surprised and find that the other person is prepared to change.
Take Responsibility
Don’t try to blame your bad decisions on other people. Own up to your mistakes and make sure that you never make the same mistake twice. Try to look at every event in your life as an opportunity for growth and always view the glass as half full as opposed to half empty.
Forgive to Release Stress
Just as you make mistakes, you need to accept that other people are not perfect either. Anger is a negative energy that will eat away at you and make you ill. Look at forgiveness in conjunction with obsession (see below). Sometimes a person refuses to forgive someone whom they feel has wronged them in the past. They then become obsessed with that person to such an extent that they can’t move forward with their lives.
Get Organized
Start your day by making a list of what needs to be done that day – and do the most important things first. You could have a whiteboard in your office with a list of projects that need to be completed in the long term too. By doing this you will take control of your life and things will start to change.
Say ‘No’
Are you a crowd pleaser? Many of us are afraid to offend others. We want to please everyone. For this reason we find it difficult to say no when other people ask for help – even if we are short of time. This can cause stress as you’re so busy helping other people that you don’t have time to catch up with your own work.
Don’t Obsess to Cut Stress
‘Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.’ Epicurus (died 270 BC)
Moderation is an important key if your life is very stressful. Epicurus lived an extremely long time ago and in those days people’s stresses would have been quite different from what we experience today.
However, stress of any kind has serious consequences for your wellbeing and an obsession can take many forms. People become infatuated with other people either from their past or the present – and sometimes even with someone they might meet in the future. They become preoccupied with making money and work. Others think constantly about sex or possessions, and this preoccupation can damage relationships.
Remember that anything that causes an imbalance in your life will cause aging and disease – so you need to incorporate these important stress-relief measures into your daily routine. For more information on the physical effects of stress go to the well-researched site called Webmd.com.
You can also have a look at the six outdoor activities that reduce stress and improve mood