Everyone experiences stress, but prolonged stress can have severe impacts on your mind, body, and behaviours. Stress is a response to changes in your life or when your capacity does not meet the challenges you are facing. Learn what the signs of prolonged stress are to understand how you can be affected by it. Not all stress is bad, it’s a way of helping you prepare to deal with situations. But long-term stress can have detrimental effects. A self care practice can help mitigate the impacts of prolonged stress and balance your quality of life.
Stressors
Stress comes from all parts of life. We are hard-wired to react to stress, but when it is non-stop, it leads to problems. Stress can be positive like getting a promotion at work, moving to a new city, or a growing family. On the other end, negative stress can include loss of a job, loss of your home, or ending a relationship to name a few. But at times, stressors are not as obvious, individually they may not amount to much, but over time, the effects start to reveal themselves. When you realize stress is overwhelming you, remember to prioritize your self care.
Short-term stress does not normally lead to detrimental effects like chronic stress can. The difference is in the severity, duration, and the symptoms themselves. Seek medical help when your life is being impacted by symptoms and you find that you can’t manage on your own. If symptoms are intense and potentially life-threatening, do not hesitate to seek immediate medical attention. This goes for both physical and mental symptoms.
Side-Effects Of Stress
Your body will manifest the impact of prolonged stress in different ways so it is imperative that you learn to be self-aware. By listening to what your body is telling you, you can start to tackle the problem. One of the first indicators that stress is taking over your life is that you are in a general state of decline in your overall health.
Stress can impact one or multiple systems throughout your body. Some symptoms can creep up on you, while others will all of a sudden knock you down. Whichever state you find yourself in, the guarantee you have is that if the stress does not come under control, your life will be imbalanced. The impact of prolonged stress goes beyond your physical body, it can also affect your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.
Common signs
Some of the most common physical effects of stress include headaches, muscle tension, chest pains, digestion problems, general malaise, and feeling tired. Additionally, you can see changes in appetite, sex drive, and sleep patterns. These symptoms are not exhaustive, so be aware of anything that is unusual for you.
Beyond the physical symptoms, you could be more irritable and anxious, or feeling down. Thinking can become harder and forgetfulness is common. Additionally, it is easy to fall back on poor habits, particularly if addiction is present. You may become withdrawn and limit time with others.
Not surprisingly, when it’s just one of these symptoms, it might be easy to disregard. But as time goes on, most likely you will start to see compounding effects. On the extreme end, you may feel like you have no control over your body anymore, you become a zombie going through the motions of the day. If this goes unchecked for long periods of time, stress can lead to burnout.
Interrupting The Impact Of Stress
By interrupting the impact of stress on your body, you can start to regain some control over your life. The first step is to figure out what is wrong. Is it stress or is it something else? Reach out to your health care provider to get their professional opinion and to check if there are medical conditions that need to be addressed. When you know it is stress, it can help you understand your symptoms better, and you can take action to counter it.
Self care is based on the concept of doing your best to give your mind and body a better quality of life. And health is number one on that list. By taking steps towards improving your physical health, your mental health will follow. Spend time reflecting on changes you need to do and build yourself a routine that prioritizes self care.
Self Care Reduces The Impact Of Prolonged Stress
At the core in the fight against stress is focusing on self care pillars. Eat nutritious foods, stay hydrated, get proper rest, incorporate movement into your everyday, and connect with others. These may sound easy, but they can be difficult to get right. Everyone’s respective needs will vary so no one can do this for you. Be patient with yourself and compassionate. This is hard work. You will notice the improvements within a short window of time.
By incorporating breathing exercises into your day, you can learn to create pockets of calm throughout the day. Journaling will give you a way to focus on your thoughts and it can help you channel gratitude. Find ways to be present and do the things that bring you joy. Eliminate behaviours that are addictive, including binge eating, alcohol, drugs, and smoking. Many believe they actually help in the short-term, but they only add to the stress your body experiences.
If you continue to experience symptoms and/or feel you need additional help, make sure to reach out to a mental health professional. They can help you identify the sources of your stress and can help you develop better coping mechanisms. Through cognitive behavioural therapy you learn that there is a direct link between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It’s easy to spiral into stress when you can’t break negative thought patterns and don’t have the proper tools to manage the stress.
Self care mitigates the impact of stress.
Prolonged stress can have severe effects on your mind, body, and behaviours. If you are already experiencing stress and additional stressors are encountered, it will most likely increase your negative outcomes. What is stressful for one person may not be so for another, nor what causes you stress at one point in your life may not cause you stress in another. Regardless of the type of stress you have, implementing self care tools will help you keep the impact of prolonged stress under control.
IMAGE CREDIT: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio.