What Are The Consequences Of Chronic Stress? 7 Symptoms To Identify It In Time
Do you suffer from prolonged stress? Do you think you are always stressed? Discover all the symptoms that identify chronic stress, its consequences and how to address it.
Experiencing stress at some moments in our lives is natural and common. But when these feelings become a routine in our daily lives, this ends up taking a toll on the person who suffers from it. Discover how it affects us and how to detect chronic stress
When we talk about chronic stress We are pointing to a feeling of prolonged and constant stress that can negatively affect our health.
He chronic stress It happens to us when our body experiences different stressors too frequently or intensely. Because of this, our autonomic nervous system does not have the adequate opportunity to activate the relaxation response on a regular basis. Therefore, our body constantly remains in a state of physiological excitement.
The consequences of continued stress They can affect all systems in our body. Our body is prepared to face acute stress, that is, stress that is short-lived. It is for this reason that chronic stress can end up affecting us both mentally and physically, leading to some devastating problems.
Symptoms of chronic stress
He prolonged stress and its symptoms They end up affecting both our mind and our body. In fact, the effects of chronic stress often make people unable to function in a completely normal way in their daily lives. Among the most common symptoms, psychologists highlight the following.
Decreased energy: One of the effects of chronic stress is experiencing much lower energy levels than usual. So much so that on many occasions people end up seeing their relationships and personal or work aspirations harmed due to this lack of energy or chronic fatigue.
Difficulty to sleep: Sleep is one of the first affected when chronic stress It begins to affect our body. In this way, the person begins to experience insomnia or difficulties falling asleep.
Disorganized thinking: He prolonged stress and its symptoms They also affect our way of thinking. People with chronic stress often lose their ability to concentrate, which also causes them to have disorganized thoughts. This affects your ability to make good decisions.
Frequent diseases and infections: He chronic stress It also physically affects our body. So much so that one of the consequences of continued stress is precisely the fact of suffering from frequent illnesses and infections (such as having many colds).
Stomach pain due to nerves: The frequent nerves in the stomach They can also be a sign that you are suffering from stress. The effects of chronic stress end up leading to various gastrointestinal problems.
Tension and headaches: As we constantly keep physiological arousal responses activated, our body is under tension. This can cause muscle pain and even lead to migraines.
Nervousness and anxiety: A condition of stress sustained over a very long period of time can lead to feeling too much. nervousness and anxiety In this way, chronic stress is also usually related to other diseases such as anxiety and depression.
Experiencing these symptoms frequently is a clear sign that there is a problem with stress. If you think you may be suffering from chronic stress it is essential that you go to a professional psychologist to treat it immediately.
Causes of chronic stress
He chronic stress It happens very frequently due to the lifestyle we have today. Constantly dealing with the speed, high pressure and nervousness that this entails can keep our body in a state of constant threat and therefore lead to chronic stress.
He chronic stress it makes us constantly resort to our body’s fight or flight response that was designed to combat the occasional situations that threaten our lives. This can end up making us sick both physically and mentally.
According to studies, between 60% and 80% of visits to primary care centers involve some related component with stress In this way, it is very important to learn different techniques for managing prolonged stress and its symptoms.
Cortisol and stress
Cortisol, called the ‘stress hormone ‘ is a substance that is designed to help our body develop a rapid response to stress. But, when stress is chronic, our body ends up producing too much cortisol. This can weaken our immune functioning, resulting in us being more prone to illness.
On the other hand, the cortisol release In the long term it also makes people feel nervous and anxious, as well as increases blood pressure. When cortisol levels remain too high, people may experience the following negative effects:
Because the sources that derive from chronic stress They can vary, psychologists identify different types depending on their origin.
Emotional stress: This chronic stress It usually provokes difficult emotions such as anger, sadness or frustration. In this way, emotional stress is due to not knowing how to manage one’s own emotions.
Environmental stress: When our surroundings are a place with many stressors, this can influence develop chronic stress
Stress in relationships: Sometimes, chronic stress It can come from the way we relate to others. Not knowing how to manage the feelings around these situations can cause us to end up suffering from prolonged stress and its symptoms.
Work stress: Work stress is undoubtedly the chronic type of stress best known today. In this way, the person does not know how to respond to the challenges or pressures related to his or her work.
On many occasions the different types of chronic stress They can affect different areas of a person’s life. That is, the chronic stress accumulated by an intense work life can end up harming your relationships with others.
Consequences of chronic stress
He chronic stress It can lead to a series of mental and physical consequences. Among the most common, we can find the following.
Problems in the heart
Obesity or weight problems
weakened immune system
Sexual dysfunction and lack of sexual desire
Nerves in the stomach and gastrointestinal disorders
Skin diseases (acne, eczema, etc.)
Insomnia or other sleep disorders
Exhaustion or chronic fatigue
Depression and anxiety
Taking into account all the consequences of continued stress in our body and mind, you will understand that it is essential to go to a professional psychologist if you suffer from this condition.
If our body gets stuck in fight and/or flight mode due to stress, this can cause different health problems. When our stress levels are chronic, the hypothalamus, a small region at the base of our brain, sets off an alarm that stays on. In this way, when the body does not have time to restore balance, it becomes overloaded and our immune system weakens, making it susceptible to different diseases.
How to deal with chronic stress?
There are some recommendations that you can follow if you suffer from chronic stress Despite these tips, visiting a mental health specialist is vital to end all the effects of chronic stress.
Develop resilience to stress: Having healthy habits in your life can be an effective way to combat some of the effects of chronic stress In this way, creating a routine with daily physical exercise, as well as the use of meditation techniques or keeping a diary are methods whose effectiveness against stress is more than proven.
Create new coping skills: What causes chronic stress It’s stressing over things that maybe we shouldn’t. Therefore, a good strategy to end chronic stress is precisely to try to reduce stressful situations or change our perspective. For example, saying ‘no’ more to different social encounters or trying to see situations from another point of view.
Identify triggers: It is not always possible to avoid those stress triggers Despite this, you can try to visualize what can stress you out more or less. With this small analysis you can try to think of some management and coping strategies that can help you prevent these situations from becoming a source of chronic stress.
Chronic stress symptoms should be treated through the presence of a mental health professional. If you are experiencing chronic stress, you must begin to rein in this problem before it gets worse. The effects of stress on your life can end up harming you inside and out.
