Stress can be defined as the “state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.” With the modern way of living, everyone is likely to feel bouts of stress at different points in life. It can be caused by different factors and episodes such as work and family-related stress, which can take its toll on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. Here we discuss common signs and indications of stress.
Chest pain
Stress and anxiety can have an impact on chest and stomach aches. This can also affect heart activity through increased palpitations, impacting your normal work routines and sleep. The increased discomfort will pile up additional stress, as people may start to think they have some type of health or medical condition.
Digestion problems
High levels of stress can impact our capacity to process food. This may be followed by diarrhoea and constipation. In this regard, an unhealthy diet which may also be coupled with poor eating habits would be detrimental to our digestive system. Other factors which do not go well with stress and digestion include ageing, physical injuries and bad posture.
Unhealthy eating habits
Stress impacts the eating habits of people differently. In certain cases, you get people who go through the day forcibly munching some nibbles, whilst others eat whatever they lay their eyes on. Both extremes are bad! Such habits will impact your weight and metabolism, leading to a negative outcome.
Splitting headaches
Trying to keep up with requests amidst tight deadlines can leave you with a strong headache at the end of the day. This can last between a few hours and a couple of days. If the stress extends to unhealthy patterns such as alcohol consumption, lack of sleep and dehydration, this can only increase the pain of your headache!
Getting sick regularly
In the long-term stress can lead to additional sick days, since it impacts the immune system negatively. Such illnesses can include increased bouts of the common cold and infections.
Demotivation and lack of energy
Although some may use stress to achieve short-term results, it is definitely not ideal in the achievement of long-term success. In an environment where one is not rewarded and pressure continues to pile, the end result will be a lack of motivation, burnout and decreased energy.
A spiral in libido
High stress can eventually impact sex drive and activity, creating new problems which will add to further anxiety and sadness.
A continued period of stress may lead people to depression, impacting our relationships, lifestyle and work. Fortunately, there are many avenues where we can relieve stress by either practising a sport or meditation. Work-life balance is the key to achieving successful results both on a personal and professional level.
In the coming weeks, we shall discuss ways of how to reduce stress. So keep an eye on our social media. Any advice is good to help one another live a more serene life.
Goodluck!
