The Impact Of Stress On Mental And Physical Health
There are few people today who have not heard about stress or have experienced it at some point in their lives. High work, social and family demands, among others, are aspects that push us to enter the wheel of stress and, subsequently, we suffer the consequences both physically and mentally.
Throughout this article we explore in depth the impact that stress can have on our mental health and our physical health. However, first we will talk about the key aspects to take into account in relation to stress and, finally, we will mention some strategies that can be useful to manage stress and thus minimize the impact.
Stress is a normal response of our body to perceived threats, whether real or imagined. In certain situations, mechanisms are activated that allow us to increase personal resources to be able to face the situation that makes us feel in danger. These situations vary depending on each person.
Stress is an adaptive response as long as it allows us to cope with the situation and the increase in our resources allows us to meet demands. The problems derived from stress become evident when we remain in this state. state of hyperarousal for longer than our body can sustain.
In other words, we could say that our body is prepared to deal with dangerous stimuli that appear punctually. However, he is not prepared to live in an environment in which he is permanently in danger. The problem is that, nowadays, there are many stimuli that, although they may not put our physical integrity at risk, our body interprets as dangerous.
Experiencing stress continuously can have a serious impact on our mental and emotional health. Typically, we find that anxiety disorders and panic attacks are closely related to prolonged periods of high stress. And if that was not enough, It is common for people to be more irritable, with less ability to connect less sexual desire and more emotionally overwhelmed, in general terms.
In addition to the physiological responses that we will see later, there are often anticipatory, intrusive and catastrophic thoughts that cause people a lot of discomfort. These can end up triggering difficulties and emotional disturbances.
Difficulty connecting with pleasure may appear and, in turn, feelings of hopelessness may appear. In addition, there may be significant concentration difficulties, memory disorders and learning difficulties.
Depressive symptoms may also appear. On some occasions, it has been observed that people have a greater tendency to develop addictions to harmful substances that, initially, they feel that they help them alleviate the symptoms of stress.
Without a doubt, everything discussed so far can have a serious impact on a person’s self-esteem. The state of our nervous system determines the way we interpret the world, our environment, ourselves and also the things that happen to us.
The effects of stress on physical health
Regarding the impact that can be observed at the level of physical health, there are also many important aspects to highlight. Since our body remains on constant alert, there are various systems that can be affected.
On the one hand, our cardiovascular system can manifest this situation in the form of hypertension, tachycardia and, in the most serious cases, strokes or heart attacks. This system is especially vulnerable to stress, in the same way that our immune system is. When this is altered, we are more vulnerable to contracting certain pathologies.
Another of the basic structures of our body that is also frequently affected is the digestive system. All types of gastrointestinal problems can appear and, today, it is known that this, in turn, has a strong impact on our emotional health. Our brain and our digestive system are connected.
Finally, it is important to highlight that stress is usually accompanied by a high feeling of fatigue and exhaustion that often causes tension and non-specific muscle pain without an organic cause. Besides, Sleep and eating patterns are often altered.
All of this can generate other types of skin problems, for example, such as acne, eczema, dermatitis, etc. In addition, there is growing evidence that prolonged stress can have an impact on women’s menstrual cycles.
Strategies to manage stress
It is important that each person becomes aware of what situation or situations are causing so much stress. We cannot forget that, although the impact on physical and emotional health has been discussed here, the impact can extend to the rest of the areas of a person’s life.
In addition to self-knowledge and self-reflection, it is crucial to cultivate spaces for self-care and incorporate them into our daily routines. It is of utmost importance to be able to connect with our needs and, to the extent possible, attend to them. This will be different for each person and each situation.
Usually, strategies such as relaxation techniques, establishing limits and learning about assertive communication are usually basic aspects. However, as there is no magic recipe, if the situation is overwhelming, we recommend asking for specialized professional help.
