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Depression can be emotionally and physically painful. It can prevent you from engaging in the activities that you love, like spending time with family and friends. It can also prevent you from doing the things you need to do, like working or shopping.
It's hard to avoid stress in this modern world. Stress from work, personal life, constant notifications from smartphones, deadlines, unreasonable bosses, societal pressures to look a certain way, and the list goes on.
Normally, your mind and body can cope with stress for short periods, but prolonged stress can affect your health and well-being. Your nervous system has a remarkable way of responding to stress. The sympathetic nervous system is activated during times of stress, also known as the "fight or flight" mode.
Your heart starts racing, your pupils dilate, your muscles tense, and other bodily functions such as digestion slow down. These responses were all once helpful when you were being chased by a tiger and fighting or running for your survival. These responses are not so helpful when responding to endless emails or when you’re stuck in traffic daily.
When you experience stress consistently like this, it can become chronic and it can lead to several physical and mental health issues.
How stress impacts you mentally & physically is well known, that prolonged stress, can lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, chronic stress can lead to burnout, which is a chronic state of being stressed out.
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands (Smith, Segal, & Robinson, 2020).
Chronic stress not only negatively affects you mentally but physically as well. When you are stressed, a hormone called cortisol is repeatedly released in the body, which can inhibit your immune system making you more susceptible to colds and flu.
On a scarier note, chronic stress can lead to more serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and certain cancers. Research has shown that chronic stress can even create macroscopic changes in certain areas of our brains.
These are some of the many ways stress can negatively impact your mind and body:
Physical
Frequent headaches
Low Energy
Frequently sick with colds/flu
Chest/back pain
Higher risk of heart disease and hypertension
Lower immunity against diseases
Upset stomach
Behavioral
No longer enjoying the things you used to
Sleep issues
Eating too much—or too little
Using more alcohol and/or drugs
Relationship issues from negative interactions and putting stress on others
Mental/Emotional
Obsessive thoughts, worries, and ruminations
Feeling sad and depressed
Feeling angry and irritable
Feel anxious and “on edge”
Burnout
Difficulty concentrating
Restlessness
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