We hear people say “I feel stressed” so often these days that many of us just brush it off. Moreover, living in a big city like New York, we tend to view feeling stressed and overwhelmed all of the time as an inevitable part of a culture that views hard work and achievement as a badge of honor. It is true that not all stress is bad (it can help motivate us when we need a push and can help us to become more resilient during tough times). However, the effects of chronic stress can be detrimental, not only to our minds but also to our bodies.
Symptoms of chronic stress disorder
Feeling stressed is quite simply your body’s reaction to a situation where it feels threatened. When we feel threatened, our bodies go on high alert and vacillate between the fight and flight modes. Fight or flight is your body’s way of determining whether you should run away or attack the threat. Chronically being in fight or flight mode can lead to symptoms that vary depending on the individual. However, there are some typical signs that show up in most people. The emotional and cognitive symptoms include feeling easily agitated or overwhelmed, racing thoughts, constant worrying, forgetfulness, and feeling defeated. Physical symptoms can include insomnia or sleep issues, headaches, chronic fatigue, stomach problems, hyper-vigilance, loss of sex drive, and chronic colds or viruses.
What prolonged stress does to the body
When your body is constantly feeling as if it needs to be on the attack, it never has the ability to get into the parasympathetic mode, which is when we feel calm and at ease. It is only in this mode that the body is able to heal and repair itself. Research shows that the effects of chronic stress weaken the immune system. This leaves us more susceptible to catching that cold from someone sneezing on the subway. It can even leave us more vulnerable to catch more serious illnesses down the road.
Additionally, when our bodies are under prolonged stress we are more likely to hold onto unnecessary weight. When stressed, the body releases a hormone called cortisol. Over the long term, this hormone can shut off the body’s way of determining when it is hungry or full. This can leave you more susceptible to not only overeat but also indulge in unhealthy foods as a quick fix to feel better.
Another way we can see how chronic stress affects our body is through the symptom of feeling fatigued. Feeling chronically fatigued, even when you sleep throughout the night could be a warning sign that your body needs a break from constantly being in fight or flight mode. This is known as adrenal fatigue and is a condition that is almost always caused by chronic stress. When your body is running on its adrenaline all day long to help you get through the everyday stressors in your daily life, it has no more fuel left to energize you to get up or fall asleep at night, in the morning or help you fall asleep at night. This imbalance in the body is why many people with chronic stress can feel wired at night and crash during the day.
Tips to help alleviate chronic stress and overwhelm:
Even though it might seem difficult to counteract and manage chronic stress and anxiety, there are many simple ways to help your body get back to rest and repair mode so that it can heal and feel better.
Take mindful moments
Taking a mindful moment simply means taking a few minutes a day to focus on the present moment. This could mean meditating, taking a walk outside, or doing some deep breathing. Taking even a few minutes a day to stop and focus on your body or your outside surroundings can do wonders for your nervous system.
Read more: The Everyday Benefits of Mindfulness
Herbs and tonics
There have been many studies that show that adding certain herbs to your diet can help combat stress and calm down inflammation in the body. Some of these include Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, and Lemon Balm.
Try less strenuous exercise
While intense cardio sessions might seem like a great way to blow off some steam, sometimes when your body is in constant fight or flight mode it can exacerbate the situation. Taking a less intense workout such as yoga, pilates, or a brisk walk can be much easier on the nervous system when it is overly active from chronic stress.
Watch: Workout to Get the Stress Out!
Talk it out
Talking about your anxieties, stress, and feeling overwhelmed can be a huge relief. When we feel overwhelmed and stressed, we often feel very isolated and alone. Finding a friend, loved one, or therapist who can talk to you about these feelings can help to alleviate symptoms.
Learning how chronic stress affects our bodies can be scary, especially if you have been dealing with it for a prolonged period of time. Rather than looking at it from a fear-based lens, we can use symptoms as a tool or warning sign that lets us know when we need to slow down and practice some self-care.
What are ways that you manage stress in your life?
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6 comments
Great blog, Jenna! This is quite informative about what is actually happening in our bodies when we feel stressed. I appreciate the reminders of some concrete ways to de-stress. I find going for a walk to be very helpful when I’m feeling particularly stressed.
This is such a great blog, Jenna! I really appreciate the information shared on how stress affects the body. Helping people understand how to combat stress is very important, you shared some great examples on that. I often meditate for five minutes before I leave my home, as New York City can be very stress provoking. After reading how stress impacts the body, I think I will increase my morning meditation to ten minutes. Thanks for writing this!
Great blog! This a great reminder to tune and listen to our bodies. I appreciate the simple and accessible tips to help manage stress and bring balance back into our daily lives.
I love this post, Jenna! You do such a great job of explaining some of the detrimental effects of stress and then presenting ways to manage that stress. I particularly like that you offer a variety of approaches, including herbal remedies. I know, for myself, that it is so helpful when I am able to identify that I am feeling stressed and do something to relax. Sometimes that means taking some time to myself to be alone, but sometimes it means reaching out to a friend for some company. This is a great and important post!
It is so important to understand the effects of chronic stress and to learn how to work through that stress. This post does a great job of laying out the ways that chronic stress can take a toll on you, and especially your body. For me, taking some time to relax and laugh with friends offers me great relief from day-to-day stress. Thank you for highlighting this important topic!
This is really an amazing read. It is very important that people understand the importance of what stress does to the body. I know that personally, when I have felt stressed and have the symptoms spoken about in this blog, I look at it as I am doing something else wrong which ends up being more stressful. This blog is a great reminder that it is important to take a breath every once in a while (especially in a fast paced city like NYC!). Thanks Jenna for writing such a great blog post!