Most adults feel stressed often, experiencing problems ranging from headaches to anxiety.
While a little stress can be beneficial, if it lasts too long, it can harm your body.
Medical experts say that too much stress can cause both mental and physical health problems.
It can harm your mental and physical health, as well as make life more difficult and less enjoyable.
However, it is possible to control stress and turn it into your benefit rather than exhaustion.
When you feel stressed, your body releases hormones that prepare you to face difficult situations ahead.
In the short term, this stress can be helpful because it makes you more focused and improves the way you work.
However, according to the American Psychological Association, prolonged stress can lead to serious health problems such as anxiety, heart disease and weakened immunity.
Work, money and personal relationships are some of the factors that often cause stress and cannot be ignored. But the important aspect is how long the stress lasts.
Acute stress is short-term and can be beneficial. But chronic stress lasts for a long time and has a bad effect on the body.
Richelle Vora, a psychotherapist and member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), says, “Acute stress is an immediate response to an immediate situation and can be beneficial in some cases.”
“It activates the fight or flight response by releasing adrenaline and cortisol. This increases our focus and also improves our digestive capacity for some time.”
If acute stress is managed well, it does not cause any harm and it helps in dealing with immediate challenges.
Vora says that chronic stress affects our hormones. It increases the risk of heart disease and weakening of the digestive system. It can also cause irritable bowel syndrome.
Chronic stress is also linked to anxiety and depression. It disturbs our sleep and accelerates our physical aging.
According to Vora, chronic stress develops due to the length of the duration of a problem and it causes a lot of harm to our body.
According to the UK National Health Service (NHS), stress triggers a number of reactions in our body. These include the release of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
This causes our heart rate and blood pressure to increase and oxygenated blood to reach our muscles more quickly.
An increase in blood sugar level provides instant energy.
But this affects the digestive system and the immune system, as the body tries to solve the immediate problem with the immediate energy.
Long-term stress is harmful. Chronic stress leads to weight gain, especially around the stomach.
Stress hormones affect memory and make it difficult to concentrate.
It also disrupts sleep and affects the body’s ability to recover and repair itself.
The NHS warns that long-term stress can lead to heart disease, digestive problems and mental health issues.
Golnaz Tabibnia, assistant research professor at the University of California, says: “Resilience is not something you have or don’t have. It’s a skill that develops over time.”
“Facing a challenge rather than ignoring it builds resilience.”
Dr Tabibnia believes that when people see stress as a help rather than a threat, their physical stress response reduces.
A slight change in mindset can do wonders and can reduce anxiety.
She said: “Confronting stress rather than ignoring it helps the brain prepare for future stress. It’s like going to the gym where lifting more weight is difficult but it makes you stronger.”
To understand the difference between anxiety and stress, we spoke to the Anxiety Stress Institute.
They replied that stress is a response to an external problem like a work deadline, driving test or any exam. It becomes active when a challenge comes and disappears as soon as the stress is over.
But anxiety can persist even without any problem. Anxiety helps keep emotions normal and keeps you on alert for difficult situations. But when it is high, all your day’s work can be spoiled.
Both stress and anxiety activate our nervous system which is necessary for the body’s fighting ability. This alerts the body and gives it energy to respond to the problem.
This means that both cause symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating and tremors. But anxiety lasts longer and is quite deep.
Anxiety UK recommends breathing exercises to deal with anxiety.
This is a simple but effective technique. It involves taking longer to exhale than to inhale, which signals the body to relax and calms the nervous system.
Academic research has shown that behavioural change practices can help reduce the damage stress can cause.
Physical exercise can also reduce stress hormones and improve mood. Meditation can also help calm the mind. Research shows that social support plays an very important role in helping you feel emotionally strong.
Dr Tabibnia emphasises the importance of being kind and using science-backed coping strategies such as exercising, spending time outdoors, socialising and spending time with family.
Yuki, a London-based mindfulness coach and founder of Seven Breaths, emphasises the importance of taking a broader perspective.
She says, “Stress management is not just about relaxing. It is about creating a lifestyle that supports your mental and physical health. When you value your health, it becomes easier to handle stress.”
She considers mindfulness, sleep, movement and nutrition as important factors in stress management.
She says, “Your gut microbiome plays an important role in managing stress. Healthy food choices help keep you healthy.”
According to Yuki, stress management is not something that you can fix quickly. It is about creating daily habits that support resilience.
Our experts say that stress is a part of life, but the pain it causes is not necessary.
Studies have shown that those who accept that stress exists are able to deal with it better. They feel less tired and their emotional health improves.
According to research by Harvard Business Review, viewing stress as a challenge rather than a threat can significantly change its effect on the body.
“When people view stress as a help rather than a threat, their psychological stress decreases,” says Dr. Tabibnia.
“By changing one’s attitude towards stress, a person can turn challenges into opportunities for personal growth.”
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