Exploring What Stress Looks Like And What It Can Do To You
Many medical professionals refer to stress as the “silent killer” because it can have serious and unexpected effects on your mental, physical, and emotional health if left untreated. According to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America Survey in 2022, “76% of adults said they have experienced health impacts due to stress in the prior month, including headache (38%), fatigue (35%), feeling nervous or anxious (34%), and/or feeling depressed or sad (33%).”
Below, we’ll explore the psychological and physical effects of stress and ways to mitigate stress before it becomes unmanageable.
What is stress?
Stress involves a set of psychological and physical reactions you feel due to tense or adverse experiences. When you experience stress, your body produces and releases stress hormones, which act as neurotransmitters, conveying the message to various body systems that you are in danger. Stress hormones travel through the nervous system, inducing physical reactions such as increasing your heart rate to make running easier, pumping more blood (and oxygen) to your muscles, or triggering your fight-or-fight evolutionary response.
According to the World Health Organization, stress “affects both the mind and the body. A little bit of stress is good and can help us perform daily activities. Too much stress can cause physical and mental health problems. Learning how to cope with stress can help us feel less overwhelmed and support our mental and physical well-being.”
Types of stress
Acute: Short-term stress reactions in response to stressors. This is the most common type of stress.
Chronic: Persistent stress that results from long-term situations such as challenging work environments or relationship troubles. Chronic stress can feel inescapable.
Episodic Acute: Habitual reactions to stressors, which may then lead to further stress. Episodic acute stress can feel like a way of life.
Eustress: Positive, motivating stressors that can help you push through to complete something. Eustress may feel energizing or even fun in some situations, such as the rush of energy when spotting the finish line of a race.
How stress can affect your life
Stress can present differently for everyone, but mental health professionals have identified several common symptoms seen in many people feeling stressed.
Physical symptoms may include headaches, chest pain, muscle tension, persistent fatigue, shifts in sex drive, changes in sleep habits, and stomachaches.
Emotional symptoms may include restlessness, lack of motivation, feelings of being overwhelmed, sadness or depression, anxiety, difficulty focusing, and irritability.
Behavioral symptoms can include over- or under-eating, substance or alcohol use, out-of-character outbursts, decreased physical activity, and social withdrawal.
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
What causes stress?
Many things can cause stress. Your body may be physically stressed by illness or disease that inhibits proper function; emotional stress can influence your thoughts, actions, and feelings; and psychological stress can trigger your fight-or-flight response. You may feel stressed about pressure at work, arguments with your children, financial difficulties, relationship problems, or any situations that put strain or pressure on you.
Why do some people process stress differently?
Some people process stress differently than others. While researchers have some ideas about why some have trouble coping with stress, many medical professionals believe it’s due to variations in temperament and personality, genetic characteristics, environmental factors, and natural stress tolerances.
Stress-related disorders
Anxiety disorders
Depression
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Acute stress disorder (ASD)
Adjustment disorders
Unclassified or unspecified trauma disorders
Reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED)
Dissociative disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorders
If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
What untreated or chronic stress can do to your body
When you’re stressed, your body tends to experience heightened levels of stress hormones. When that stress is chronic or untreated, it can put extra wear and tear on your body, possibly making you age faster than you would have otherwise and harming your overall health and well-being.
Nervous system
Untreated stress for long periods can affect your brain and nervous system in various ways. From “rewiring” your cognitive processes and changing how your body processes certain neurochemicals and emotions, stress can frequently lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
Cardiovascular system
Many people living with chronic stress experience higher blood pressure, increased heart rate, and elevated cholesterol, which can all be risk factors for serious cardiovascular issues like stroke and heart disease.
Digestive system
Long-term stress often leads to problems with the digestive system, such as frequent stomachaches and diarrhea.
Immune system
When you have elevated stress hormones in your body for an extended time, your immune system can be damaged. A weaker immune system means your body may have more trouble fighting off infections, and you may get sick more easily.
Appetite and weight changes
Many people with untreated stress experience drastic shifts in their eating habits, either overeating or undereating, which can lead to weight gain or loss.
What can you do? Exploring healthy ways to cope with stress
You have multiple options for finding healthy ways to manage your stress symptoms and minimize how much they influence your mood and behaviors.
Psychotherapy
Talk therapy can be a valuable tool for addressing your reactions to stress. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach that tends to focus on the connection between the way you think and how you feel. CBT aims to help people identify unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors so that they can shift them toward healthier habits and make positive lifestyle changes.
Medication
Anti-anxiety medications can help you manage your stress symptoms so they don’t interfere with your ability to function. However, medicine only treats the symptoms and not the underlying cause.
Self-care
Self-care involves finding ways to care for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. When your mind and body are healthy, it can be easier to maintain emotional balance. For many people, working with a licensed therapist can be a valuable part of a robust self-care plan.
Lifestyle changes
If you're trying to find healthy ways to make meaningful lifestyle changes to promote symptom management, you might consider working daily stress relief strategies into your routine. For example, when you start feeling stressed, consider taking a walk outside or getting some physical activity to help your body release endorphins. The following are some other strategies for reducing stress:
Evidence-backed strategies to cope with stress
Educate yourself about stress and how it can affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet and pay attention to your body’s needs.
Avoid using maladaptive coping skills and unhealthy methods to manage stress.
Practice a mindful lifestyle with yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to help you find emotional balance.
Make time to do things that make you laugh or feel joy.
Maintain healthy sleep hygiene.
Keep a daily journal to track your stressful events, triggers, and practical coping skills.
Stress can alter your perception of a situation. If you’re feeling especially stressed, you might challenge those thoughts and try to evaluate the circumstances objectively.
Maintain connections with your social circle.
Spend time with your pets, which can release the neurochemical oxytocin into your bloodstream.
When to reach out for help
Stress symptoms may be problematic if they cause significant distress, interfere with your ability to function in one or more areas of your life, and persist for at least two weeks. If that describes your situation, consider reaching out for professional help.
How therapy can help manage stress symptoms
If your stress symptoms are interfering with your ability to function in daily life and causing you distress, consider working with a licensed therapist online through a virtual therapy platform such as BetterHelp. A licensed therapist may be able to teach healthy coping skills to manage your stress, identify and address harmful behavior or thought patterns, and help you make meaningful lifestyle changes to minimize the impact of stress symptoms.
Many therapists treating stress use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to examine the connection between how you think and feel. Studies show that , often with shorter wait times and lower costs. Many people have said that discussing personal details with the therapist was easier due to the physical separation involved with online therapy.
Takeaway
What are 12 ways to deal with stress?
Everyone is different and will respond to these tips differently, but here are 12 ways to deal with stress:
- Take a break from the news. Constant information about the negative things happening in the world can worsen stress.
- Take some time away from social media. Research shows that social media use can increase stress.
- Eat a well-balanced diet of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, and limit your intake of salt, saturated fats, and added sugars.
- Prioritize sleep. Establish a good sleep routine and aim for seven or more hours a night.
- Move more. If you don’t have a regular exercise routine, start small with a daily walk. Slowly build over time, aiming for a total of 2.5 hours a week.
- Limit your alcohol intake.
- Avoid illegal substances and only use prescription drugs in the ways they are prescribed.
- Avoid vaping, smoking, or using other tobacco products.
- Ensure you visit your doctor for regular health checkups, screenings, tests, and vaccinations.
- Carve out time in your schedule to relax and connect with friends and family.
- Practice deep breathing or meditation, so you have a tool you can use in the moment when stress starts to creep up.
- Talk to a licensed mental health professional if you need more support to learn other stress management strategies.
How can I relieve stress fast?
If you need to relieve stress fast, try some of the following techniques:
- Do something active. Get up and take a walk, dance, jog around the block, or go for a bike ride.
- Close your eyes and practice deep breathing or meditation.
- Write down a few things you’re grateful for.
- Listen to an inspiring song or read an inspiring quote.
- Think about something funny to make yourself laugh.
What are the exercises for stress management?
Physical activity reduces stress, so anything that gets you moving can help. Running, swimming, weight lifting, or walking can help, but you can think outside the box to find an activity you really enjoy. Try dancing in your living room, weeding your garden, or playing outside with your dog.
What are the 6 main stressors?
What you find stressful may differ from what someone else does, but there are some experiences that many people go through that might cause significant stress. These may include getting a divorce or separation, moving, the death of a loved one, having a baby, losing your job, and dealing with a long-term illness.
What are five negative ways to deal with stress?
Unhealthy responses to stress include using drugs or alcohol, withdrawing from friends and family, overeating or undereating, sleeping too much, and smoking. If you use these methods to help yourself deal with stress, talking to a mental health professional can help you find better coping skills and provide you with non-judgemental support.
What is a stress diary?
A stress diary is a record of anxious or stressful moments that you can go back to later to determine what is causing or contributing to those moments.
What is a stress lesson plan?
A stress lesson plan is a tool teachers can use to teach classes about stress. They can include everything from information about the effects of stress on the body to stress worksheets and stress management techniques.
How can we avoid stress?
If you can identify your triggers, you may be able to avoid some of the things that bring you stress on a day-to-day basis. For example, if you know traffic is especially bad on that one route to work, you can take another way or take public transportation and listen to your favorite audiobook, music, or podcast on your way. But avoiding all stress is impossible. If you need help learning how to cope with the stress you can’t avoid, reach out to a mental health professional for support.
What is stressful in life?
Everyone’s stressors are different. There are acute stressors that we face every day, like running late to a meeting or realizing you missed an important phone call. There are chronic stressors that come from long-term situations, like a challenging relationship or intense work environment.
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