Stress is extremely prevalent in today’s fast-paced society. In fact, many doctor visits are caused at least in part by stress-related issues. While most people realize that too much stress isn’t a good thing, many do not realize just how much stress can affect one’s body, mind, and behavior.
Being able to recognize common stress symptoms is a start in enabling you to manage them. Here are some effects of stress on your body: headache, muscle tension/pain, chest pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, stomach upset, and sleep problems. Stress also affects your mind, with symptoms ranging from anxiety and restlessness to lack of motivation or focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability or anger, and sadness or depression. Lastly, stress impacts your behavior in areas such as overeating or undereating, angry outbursts, drug or alcohol misuse, tobacco use, social withdrawal, and exercising less often.
It’s important to take the proper steps to manage your stress levels in order to avoid potentially serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or diabetes. The first thing you should do is eliminate areas of stress in your life, or reduce them as much as possible. Other stress management strategies include getting regular physical activity, keeping a sense of humor, spending time with family and friends, and setting aside time for hobbies. One very helpful tool is practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga. Getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy, balanced diet is also important.
While modern society makes it very difficult to completely remove stress altogether from our lives, it is possible – and important – to reduce or manage our stress levels and to minimize symptoms that can eventually lead to more complicated health problems.