This can put you at increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment.
There are five stages of stress; fight or flight, damage control, recovery, adaption, and burnout.
After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS, known as the exhaustion stage. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage.
Stress can cause mental health problems.
And it can make existing problems worse. For example, if you experience lots of stress, this might lead you to develop a mental health problem like anxiety or depression. Or a traumatic period of stress might lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Stress can cause an imbalance of neural circuitry subserving cognition, decision making, anxiety and mood that can increase or decrease expression of those behaviors and behavioral states. This imbalance, in turn, affects systemic physiology via neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune and metabolic mediators.
Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give. The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—including your home, work, and social life.
Stress becomes a medical concern if it is already beginning to affect a person's function and way of life. If stress renders one incapable of working or functioning at home because of the recurrence of physical symptoms even in the absence of the stressor, it is best to immediately seek medical help from professionals.
A nervous breakdown, also known as a mental health crisis or mental breakdown, describes a period of intense mental distress. A person having a nervous breakdown is temporarily not able to function in their everyday life.
1: That depends on the complaints you have - You generally recover from short-term stress in a few days. A few nights of good sleep or a good weekend of rest will generally ensure that you are fully rested and fit again. Chronic stress takes longer.
What is mental exhaustion? Mental exhaustion is a feeling of extreme tiredness, characterized by other feelings including apathy, cynicism, and irritability. You may be mentally exhausted if you've recently undergone long-term stress, find it hard to focus on tasks, or lack interest in activities you usually enjoy.
Toxic stress response:
This is the body's response to lasting and serious stress, without enough support from a caregiver. When a child doesn't get the help he needs, his body can't turn off the stress response normally. This lasting stress can harm a child's body and brain and can cause lifelong health problems.
Stress that lasts for weeks or months indicate chronic stress. Chronic stress can impact your overall health. One risk is high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. For example, studies have shown that chronic stress is associated with a hypertension (or high blood pressure).
Chronic Stress Examples
Work: Starting a new job, losing a job, retiring, difficulties at work, being unable to find a job, etc. Financial: Having money problems, difficulty meeting basic needs such as housing or food, etc. Life changes: Moving, starting a new school, etc.