When we talk about stress, we can be tempted to focus only on its symptoms at a physiological level: increased muscle tension, secretion of sweat, increased heart rate, etc. However, we cannot forget that another of the most important facets of stress has to do with our emotions and feelings, what goes through our heads.
And in the same way that when we are stressed it has an impact on all kinds of organs throughout our body, our brain also gives rise to a certain way of thinking and feeling when stress hormones are released in large quantities. …And if we also suffer from excess stress, that psychological impact is even more accentuated.
In this article we will see precisely What are the emotional consequences of stress problems?something basic to better understand this phenomenon and know how to mitigate it.
Stress is a psychological and physiological state that prepares us to react quickly to the first signs that something is wrong or that if we don’t hurry, we will miss important opportunities. It arises from a mechanism that has been carved over millions of years of evolution, and that is why a large number of animals (both vertebrates and invertebrates) experience stress: such is the usefulness of this resource to ensure survival. of many kinds of life forms.
However, and even assuming that the possibility of entering a state of stress is usually useful, it is true that sometimes it becomes a problem that generates unjustified discomfort; this happens when We “learn” to feel stress in situations that do not deserve it.exaggerating the chances that something bad will happen to us.
Furthermore, the problems linked to excess stress do not only have to do with the subjective discomfort that it makes us feel: if we feel very stressed when it is not playing, the way in which we try to alleviate that feeling can lead us to develop other psychological problems. derived from this. For example: the habit of arguing with others, blaming them for what happens to us, drug use to “distract ourselves,” binge eating without being truly hungry, etc.
These behavioral dynamics can become so internalized in us that sometimes we are not even aware of them.we do them going in “automatic mode” and without questioning them or identifying them as something harmful.
The 4 main emotional consequences of stress
Stress can be expressed emotionally in different ways, and this depends greatly on the characteristics of each individual as well as their environment and life context. However, some of the most frequent are these that we will see here.
1. Increased irritability
A person who suffers from excess stress will have less capacity to adopt an attitude of cordiality and kindness towards others when unexpected requests, misunderstandings, and in general, social situations that can generate frustration arise.
There is a tendency to be irritablegiven that to the discomfort caused by the stress itself we must add that produced by this type of “potholes” to which we must adapt on the fly.
Since stress predisposes us to prepare for situations that can harm us, it is easy for overly stressed people to enter a pessimistic mindset and begin to entertain thoughts that anticipate catastrophes. Thus, They interpret almost any event, no matter how ambiguous, as a warning that something bad will happen.
3. Discomfort due to the lack of control over what you feel
Another emotional consequence of excess stress has to do with the way in which the person relates to their emotional side. In situations like this, The desire arises to control as much as possible, including what happens in one’s mind.and the fact of not achieving it generates discomfort and worry: the person feels overwhelmed by their emotions.
4. Desire to perform check actions over and over again
Since the person with excess stress is pushed to try to control what happens to them but at the same time adopts a pessimistic mentality, It’s easy to feel bad if you don’t check and recheck certain items that, if failed, would get you into trouble..
Some examples: counting the pages of the report you are writing several times, checking several times that the door at home is locked, looking in the mirror several times in a row before going outside, etc.
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