If you feel stressed all the time, you might be dealing with chronic stress or burnout. You may find it helpful to practice grounding activities, make supportive lifestyle changes, and carve out more time for your favorite relaxation activities.
Chronic stress — stress that occurs consistently over a long period of time — can have a negative impact on a person's immune system and physical health. If you are constantly under stress, you may experience physical symptoms such as chest pain, headaches, an upset stomach, trouble sleeping or high blood pressure.
If you're constantly under stress, you can have physical symptoms, such as headaches, an upset stomach, high blood pressure, chest pain, and problems with sex and sleep. Stress can also lead to emotional problems, depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry.
Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody. Feeling overwhelmed, as if you are losing control or need to take control. Having a hard time relaxing and quieting your mind. Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), and feeling lonely, worthless, and depressed.
Get active. Virtually any form of physical activity can act as a stress reliever. Even if you're not an athlete or you're out of shape, exercise can still be a good stress reliever. Physical activity can pump up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being.
"When the body cannot handle emotional overload, it simply begins to shut down. And that is often manifested by a sense of extreme tiredness and fatigue," says Kalayjian.
Stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems.
As an adaptive response to stress, there is a change in the serum level of various hormones including CRH, cortisol, catecholamines and thyroid hormone. These changes may be required for the fight or flight response of the individual to stress.
It's important not to go back to work too quickly or to expose yourself to very stressful situations during this phase. The recovery can take several months and you may be sensitive to stress for many years ahead.
The most common areas we tend to hold stress are in the neck, shoulders, hips, hands and feet. Planning one of your stretch sessions around these areas can help calm your mind and calm your body. When we experience stressful situations whether in a moment or over time, we tend to feel tension in the neck.
Other than physical illnesses, stress can also give rise to psychological illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and panic, which are all valid medical concerns. Especially if the depression, anxiety, or panic attack is accompanied by suicidal thoughts, it is automatically considered as a medical emergency.
Uncontrollable reactive thoughts. Inability to make healthy occupational or lifestyle choices. Dissociative symptoms. Feelings of depression, shame, hopelessness, or despair.
For example, your doctor might offer to prescribe: Sleeping pills or minor tranquillisers, if you're having trouble sleeping. Antidepressants, if you're experiencing depression or anxiety alongside stress. Medication to treat any physical symptoms of stress, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or high blood pressure.
Prioritize Exercise
Physical activity is key to managing stress and improving mental health. 17 And the best news is, there are many different kinds of activities that can reduce your stress. Join a gym, take a class, or exercise outside.
Many people associate crying with feeling sad and making them feel worse, but in reality, crying can help improve your mood - emotional tears release stress hormones. Your stress level lowers when you cry, which can help you sleep better and strengthen your immune system.
Your heart rate might increase, your lips start to quiver, and your voice gets shaky. Then the waterworks begin to flow. All this emotion tells your hypothalamus to produce the chemical messenger acetylcholine.