Effects of Stress on Body and Health

Stress is part of our daily life. Life would be very boring indeed without a little bit of stress. It is this stress only that motivates us, makes us want to win races and excel in academics. However, when stress gets excessive or is not handled properly, it can cause a variety of illnesses. Stress can even be fatal if we allow it to control us rather than trying to control stress and stressful situations.

Stress is not simply something that makes you worry. It can occur even due to things and events that make you happy. In fact, many people are burdened with stress without even realizing that it exists. Stress can be anything that brings about a change in your routine life and your health. It is also about imaginary changes that you think might happen in future. Stress can therefore be real, perceived, self-created, positive or negative.

Our bodies have evolved in a way that they experience and react to stress in a specific manner. Only if we choose to consider stress as a challenge and try and overcome the situation positively can stress be resolved effectively.

Constant stress, on the other hand, can have a negative impact on your body and overall health. It triggers changes in the brain and brings about a chemical imbalance. When your body is relaxed and in its normal un-agitated state, it produces enough chemicals that keep you calm. Constant stress disturbs the level of these chemicals and important nerve centers are hard-pressed. This is the negative reaction of stress and known as distress.

Distress can cause psychological suffering as well as extreme physical pain. It can leave you feeling terrible. It can overwhelm the mind and affect your overall health. It can lead to headaches, high blood pressures, diarrhea, constipation and upset stomach, insomnia and chest pain. It can also aggravate the symptoms of an existing disease.

Many people try to relieve stress by using alcohol, tobacco or drugs. This negative sublimation is something that can be extremely harmful and cause irreversible damage to you. Alcoholic beverages, smoking and drugs do not relieve stress. In fact they continue to keep the body in the agitated state of stress and tension. They do not bring the body back to a relaxed state and can in fact cause more problems.

There are many times that visits to the doctor result from aches, pains and allergies that are actually caused by psychological issues like stress. Untreated stress may be the underlying causes for tension headaches, asthma, arthritis, skin diseases, hypertension and cardiac problems. No wonder that stress is often referred to as a silent killer.

If you are anxious or stressed out or have a tendency to look at the negative aspects of every situation, you need to do something to manage stress. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and think positive. Always remember that most of the time adverse situations have some hidden positive potential.

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