What is stress?
Stress is the body’s and mind’s reaction to a demand or difficulty. Your body releases specific hormones when you are under stress. Hormones are molecules that go through your bloodstream and regulate several bodily functions. Stress causes the production of hormones that give you alertness and readiness for action. They have the potential to increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose. This reaction is also referred to as a “fight or flight” reaction.
Everyone experiences some stress. Different kinds of stress exist. It may have a short or long duration. It may be brought on by a single incident or a series of incidents.
Not all stress is harmful. In fact, it may even help you escape a perilous circumstance alive. One type of stress, for instance, could be the startle you get when a car suddenly cuts in front of you while you’re driving. This hormone surge enables you to use the brakes fast enough to prevent an accident. Sometimes a little momentary tension is beneficial. For instance, the pressure of meeting a deadline at work or school may motivate you to finish your assignment on time. That tension disappears once you’ve completed it. Long-term stress, however, can be detrimental to your health.
What causes long-term stress?
Chronic stress, also known as long-term stress, lasts for several weeks, months, or more. Your body is exhibiting symptoms of a potential hazard while you go about your daily activities.
Causes of long-term stress include:
- Routine stress from the demands of work, school, family needs, money problems, and other daily pressures that don’t stop.
- Stress from sudden, difficult changes in your life, such as divorce, illness, losing your job, or other unhappy life events that often have a long impact.
- Traumatic stress, which may happen when you’re in danger of serious harm or death. Examples include being in a bad accident, a war, a flood, earthquake, or other frightening event. This type of stress can cause a long-lasting problem called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How can long term-stress harm my health?
There are differences in how people handle stress. If you experience prolonged stress, you might observe that you are:
Your body reacts as though you’re in danger all the time when stress levels are high. That’s a significant amount of stress that could contribute to the emergence of major health issues, such as: It’s feasible to become accustomed to stress symptoms without even realizing something is wrong. Thus, it’s critical to recognize how high levels of stress impact you so that you can take appropriate action.
How can I manage long-term stress?
Simple things that improve your mental health may be helpful in managing long-term stress, such as:
- Get regular exercise. A 30-minute daily walk can help you feel better and help keep your immune system strong, so you don’t get sick.
- Try relaxing activities. You could look for an app or wellness program that uses breathing, meditation, or muscle relaxation exercises.
- Get enough sleep every night.
- Avoid too much caffeine.
- Decide what you need to do now and what can wait. And focus on what you got done each day, not on what you weren’t able to do.
- Ask your family or friends for support.
When should I ask my health care provider for help with stress?
Get help if you’re having severe symptoms for 2 weeks or more, including:
- Trouble sleeping
- Changes in your eating that cause unwanted changes in your weight
- Troubles getting out of bed because of your mood
- Difficulty focusing your thoughts
- Losing interest in things you usually enjoy
- Not being able to do your usual daily activities
Always get help right away if stress is causing you to:
- Have thoughts of suicide
- Feel you can’t cope
- Use drugs or alcohol more often than usual
Your health care provider may refer you to a mental health professional such as a psychologist or social worker.
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health