The Damaging Effects of Stress

Stress is extremely hard on the body. Stress can bring on all kinds of symptoms that you may not even realize are stress related. It can make some people’s body appear to be sick, when really it is under stress. The most common physical symptoms of stress are muscle related. Some people will get a tense neck, or tension headache. Other people can develop real physical symptoms that can mimic real illnesses. These can be confusing and hard to diagnose, even for a doctor.

Some more common problems that can be stress related are problems with muscle tension, fatigue, blood pressure fluctuations, heart palpitations, headaches, and upset stomach; such as, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion. Some non-common problems related to stress can be ringing in the ears, floaters in the eyes and other vision disturbances, chills, fever, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and an array of other symptoms that can actually mimic other illnesses.

Depending on what the symptoms are, doctors can have a difficult time diagnosing the problem. A patient may be seen for several symptoms that almost fit the profile for a certain illness, but not all the symptoms are there, so this confuses the doctor. If you have been under an unusual amount of stress when you see your physician, it is best to tell him that you have. This way, he can keep that in account so that he can rule stress out, and determine if your symptoms fit the profile for an illness, or stress.

If you feel that you are under stress, you should take action right away. To wait and let the stress mount will only worsen the problems, physically and emotionally, and will most definitely make you feel worse. Symptoms brought on by stress can be unnerving and even frightening. It is a vicious cycle because the more stressed you are, the more the odd symptoms can escalate, and the more the symptoms worsen, the more nervous or scared you can get.

Try to relax. Take deep breaths; deep breaths in the fresh air are best. If you know that you are stressed, start right away with trying to unwind and de-stress. Take active steps to try to help yourself relax by doing things like, take a day off of work. Take warm showers and baths that will relax your muscles. Use aromatherapy as a way to relax; the bath is the perfect place to use aromatherapy. Turn your phone and pager off if at all possible, and limit your communication with the outside world. If you are not familiar with Yoga or Meditation, buy some videos that will help you to learn some techniques. Listen to soothing music that relaxes you, or meditating tapes. Get plenty of rest. Plan on going to bed earlier than you normally do, even if you cannot fall asleep right away, at least you are lying down and resting. Try to get some exercise; go for a walk, or jog. Exercise does wonders for the brain and the body. Exercising is a natural way of getting a high with the feel-good endorphins that exercise releases. Talk to yourself. Remind yourself that you are okay and that you just need to relax. Your mind can do wonders on the body if you just allow it to. Remember, your mind, most often, is what got you into the stressed out mentality, and it can work its way out of it for you if you allow it to. And, of course, a good massage by a professional can be an excellent way of relaxing as well. Massages can do wonders for the muscles, and the mind.

Whatever it takes to de-stress, you need to take the time to do it. The longer you allow yourself to stay stressed, the more havoc the stress can wreak on your body. Sometimes the stress can have long term and permanent affects, such as with the heart. High blood pressure can cause permanent damage, so be careful when you hear that your blood pressure is up.

There is no time like the present to start learning to de-stress, even before you have experience with high stress levels. If you practice lowering stress now, then when you have an actual experience with it, you will already know what works for you.