Everyone experiences stress sometimes, but too much stress can wreak havoc on your health. Finding healthy ways to manage stress can help you stay calm and steady.
Stress is a fact of life, and a small amount of stress isn’t even a bad thing. If you’re preparing for a test in school, for example, or completing a major work project, stress can prod you to get the job done — and to do it well.
When stress lingers, though, it can harm your physical and mental health. Keep reading to learn how and why.
Your Body on Stress
When you experience stress, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. This mode, triggered by the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, was quite useful back in the days when wild animals might attack you on the way home, but these days, it can be a bit of an overreaction on your body’s part in many cases.
Stress hormones trigger changes within the body, designed to help you flee or fight. They cause your heart rate and blood pressure to increase, as well as a surge of energy. Stress hormones cause your brain to become more alert, and may make your muscles tense up.
These effects can help you tackle an immediate task, but when you experience chronic stress, having your body at high alert all the time can cause health problems. Chronic stress, in fact, increases the risk of developing many chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression or anxiety, and skin problems.
What You Can Do About Stress
While it’s pretty much impossible to fully eliminate stress, you can take steps to manage it in a healthy way. Your daily habits play a big role in that.
Move your body frequently, striving for at least 20 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Eat a balanced diet filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Aim for between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. Limit your alcohol consumption, and don’t smoke. All of these habits can help your body better handle stressful situations.
It’s also important to find ways to help your body and mind relax. Incorporate activities and practices that calm you, such as meditation, yoga, prayer, a hobby, or time with friends. When you’re feeling stressed about your work, your relationships, or life in general, carve out a little extra time for those activities.
Where to Turn When You’re Too Stressed
Where’s the line between stress and chronic stress? Pay attention to your stressors — the triggers that cause your stress, such as the previously mentioned test or work project. When those stressors are removed, does your stress stick around?
Stress without a trigger is actually anxiety, and anxiety can affect your health in many ways. If you’re experiencing chronic stress and anxiety, you may find yourself dealing with:
- Forgetfulness
- Frequent headaches
- Lack of energy or problems focusing
- Problems with sleep
- Stiff jaw or neck
- Tiredness that doesn’t ease with rest
- Tummy troubles, such as diarrhea, constipation, or an upset stomach
- Weight loss or gain
These symptoms are all reasons to check in with a primary care provider (PCP). While you might not think about seeing a medical provider when you’re stressed, stress is a health problem — and one the PCPs here at Cempa Community Care see frequently.
A primary care provider can talk you through ways to manage stress and help treat any health problems that are caused by stress, such as high blood pressure or headaches. Your PCP may also encourage you to seek behavioral health services, where you’ll work with a trained provider who can help you through the mental health side of stress and its effects on the body.
Feeling the effects of chronic stress? The Cempa team is here to help. Schedule a primary care appointment here.
