Five ways to overcome the side effects of stress

Chronic stress and emotional exhaustion are associated with several side effects that may be overlooked because of other challenges. When you don't know what's causing your symptoms, you might ignore them or leave them untreated. However, determining when stress is causing you harm can give you a starting point for finding lasting support. To start, it may be helpful to learn the most common impacts of stress and how to overcome them. 

What are the side effects of stress?

Stress has many impacts on the body. Specifically, it may uniquely impact your body, mood, and behavior. To cope with stress, it can first be essential to identify it in all aspects of your life.  

Stress and the body

Emotional exhaustion and stress can impact your body from the inside out. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), ongoing stress causes an increased risk of heart conditions and illness. 

Common physical impacts of stress and emotional exhaustion include the following:

• Headaches 
• Insomnia
• Heartburn 
• High blood pressure
• Infertility
• Missed menstrual periods
• Low sex drive
• Stomachaches
• Fatigue
• Tense muscles

When your body's stress response is turned on, a chemical reaction occurs in the brain that causes it to release various stress hormones. The existence of a stress hormone can compromise your immune system, making it more challenging for your body to fight off illnesses and diseases.

If you are living with high levels of stress, it may be impacting you on a physical level and causing exhaustion. Stress and emotional exhaustion can drain your energy and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night. In this case, you're impacted by multiple challenges simultaneously, which may compound the emotional symptoms of your challenges. 

Stress and mood

Stress can also significantly impact mood. When you are experiencing higher levels of stress, you might become more easily overwhelmed and irritable. When you have a problem that you don't know how to manage, it can cause you to lose patience in other areas of your life. For example, a stressful situation at work could cause you to lash out at your family when you get home due to irritability. 

Stress can also cause you to lose focus and motivation when attempting to accomplish goals. This loss of motivation may lead to anxiety, which can incite other challenging symptoms. 

Stress and behavior

Long-term stress can cause specific action urges to pop up more frequently, potentially leading to unhealthy behavioral choices. For example, long-term irritability might lead to the urge to yell at others, speed while driving, or partake in other risky activities. Some people may also turn to external sources of comfort, such as food, alcohol, or other substances.

Stress can also cause some individuals to withdraw from family and friends. Withdrawal may be a response to being exhausted or overwhelmed and can directly impact energy levels, causing you to stay at home instead of going out and socializing or participating in hobbies or sports. You might also skip exercising due to stress, a lack of energy, or both.

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources.

Five healthy ways to overcome stress

Below are five healthy tips for overcoming stress and coping with challenging symptoms. 

Focus on self-care

You may struggle to prioritize self-care when going through a stressful situation. However, self-care may be the ingredient to stress reduction, so pushing through the desire to ignore this coping skill can be the first step to reducing your symptoms. If you're stressed, it may be difficult to sleep. However, to start your self-care routine, partake in regular sleep hygiene practices like reducing screen time before you sleep, drinking herbal tea before bed, and keeping a cool and clean bedroom. 

Self-care may also include eating a balanced diet of healthy foods. You might want to turn to snacks and fast foods when confronted with stress. However, these foods don't have the minerals and vitamins to give your body the nourishment it needs. When you're stressed, a balanced diet can give you the energy to cope with challenging situations. 

Another part of self-care is exercise. Physical activity can keep your body healthy and boost your mood. When exercising, the endorphins your body releases increase happiness and reduce physical pain. You may experience sore muscles when you first begin exercising, but your muscles can adapt to exercise as you get used to it. If you struggle at first, consider exercising by taking a daily walk or stretching. 

Eliminate sources of stress

In some cases, people may cause their stress. For example, someone might make an impulsive financial decision that leads to financial stress. In other cases, someone might be aware of the sources of their stress but fail to take action. For example, if you're stressed because of frequent social media notifications, you might benefit from turning off your phone's notifications and setting a pre-determined time during the day to check your messages. 

Another area you may be able to improve on is time management skills. If you're constantly procrastinating on doing the work required of you, you may be causing yourself stress. Learning to manage your time effectively may help you avoid unnecessary stress. Although the thought of completing a task might be stressful, you may experience more stress if you put it off to the point that you don't get full credit or lose a job because of procrastination. 

Improving organizational skills may also be an area of life under your control. You might experience stress if you're often trying to rush out of the house in the morning and can't find your car keys. To avoid this stress, set alarms, put your essential items in the same place each night, and plan ahead.

If the cause of your stress is romantic, platonic, or familial relationships, you may also be able to avoid stress in this area. If these stressful relationships are with family, consider reducing the amount of time that you spend with them. If you're stressed about a potential relationship, take steps to distance yourself and understand why you put so much emotional value on a connection with someone who might not value your time. 

Practice meditation

Practicing mindfulness or meditation can help you target stress's physical and emotional symptoms. Meditation aims to focus on the present moment and let negative thoughts pass. This process may enable you to take the focus off a stressful period in your life. 

There are many ways to practice meditation. If you're new to the concept, guided meditation apps may help you get started. Wellness professionals can also guide you through a meditation regime to combat stress and emotional exhaustion. Studies show that meditation and mindfulness significantly reduce chronic stress and anxiety. 

Practice deep breathing 

Deep breathing is another strategy you can use to overcome your stress. When stressed, you may start to take quick breaths and forget to breathe deeply. Breathing shallowly or hyperventilating can cause a fast heart rate and high blood pressure. 

You may prevent these natural reactions by practicing deep breathing when you are stressed. As your body starts to calm, you may also regain control of your mind. One breathing exercise you can try is box breathing, which involves breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out, and holding your breath again. The controlled nature of box breathing allows you to practice mindfulness while controlling your nervous system.  

Talk to a therapist

If you're experiencing significant stress, it may be helpful to talk to a therapist. You do not have to have a mental illness or severe traumatic experience to talk to a mental health professional. Over 41.7 million US adults see a therapist, and many do so to cope with chronic stress. 

However, despite the popularity of therapy, some people may avoid setting up an appointment with an in-person provider due to anxiety about commuting, being on a waitlist, or keeping up with a physical appointment. In this case, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may save you time. In addition, some online counseling platforms can match you with a therapist based on your unique preferences for therapy.  

Studies also back up the effectiveness of internet-based interventions. A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies shows that online therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy in treating a range of mental health challenges, including stress. The study followed 10,000 clients receiving various types of treatments to come to this conclusion.