You Can Have Major Health Problems From Chronic Stress
Our bodies are hard-wired to react to stress to protect us from potential threats. While we are no longer being threatened by predators or other aggressors, we are still facing multiple demands each day that our body reacts to in the same way.I didn’t even realize that I was dealing with chronic stress until I had a breakdown. My family got the flu and when I had it, I took a really long time to get better, going to Insta-care twice. This was very unusual for me to get sick and when I didn’t get better for months and interesting things started happening to my body such as numbness on half of my body and pieces of my memory gone. After months of doctors unable to figure it out my friend did- I had chronic stress for years and my body was trying to tell me to stop and start healing myself.
What Is Stress?
In many cases, stress is described as feeling overwhelmed, worried, run-down, or anxious. Anyone can be affected by stress regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic standing, or circumstances. Some stress is beneficial to our lives because it produces a boost of drive and energy allowing us to get things done. In most cases, everyday stressors can be managed with healthy stress management skills. However, this isn't always the case and extreme and chronic amounts of stress can have severe health consequences.
What Is Chronic Stress?
Stress is something we deal with on a regular basis, before an exam, a job interview, or when we are almost in a car accident. You will feel the effects of this stressful situation, but the stress will diminish when the stressor is gone and your body will recover. Chronic stress is the stress that people deal with day after day for years on end. The things that can cause chronic stress include poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, an unhappy or abusive marriage, or a hated job. Chronic stress occurs when a person feels as though they have no way out of a miserable situation and they give on searching for a solution.
Chronic stress can lead to a multitude of health problems including:
Addictions €“
Concentration €“ A study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center showed that chronic stress affects the ability to concentrate and react to situations efficiently. It also showed that those experiencing chronic stress were more accident-prone and forgot things frequently.
Digestive Disorders €“ Digestion isn't the body's priority when it is responding to stress. Because of this, chronic stress can contribute to many digestive disorders including bloated stomach, cramping, constipation, acid reflux, ulcers, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Increased Risk Of Heart Problems €“ In the same study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center, a link was found between chronic stress and an increased risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. This is because stress causes your heart rate to increase and can constrict your arteries and thicken the blood, which affects heart rhythms.
Please look at your life and see if there are things you can change to have less stress in your life. If you don’t, your body may help you to slow down by breaking down. Be proactive instead of reactive. YOU GOT THIS!