STRESS- SYMPTOMS, AND PREVENTION

WHAT IS STRESS?

Stress can be defined as one’s reaction when feeling under pressure or threatened. Stress can also be defined as one’s normal reactions to life events when life demands more than anyone can handle or more than anyone is used to. Non-manageable and non-controllable situations cause stressful conditions.

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS?

Psychological stress is the feeling of emotional pressure and strain that causes psychological pain. Psychological stress leads to frustration, nervousness, and angriness.

ARE STRESS AND ANXIETY INTERCONNECTED?

As we already discussed above, stress experience physical and psychological symptoms such as anger, fatigue, trouble with digestion, irritability, muscle pain, and difficulty in sleeping. On the other hand, anxiety can be defined as persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away for a long time. Stress and anxiety are closely related as a person with stress often experience a lot of anxiety.

WHAT ARE THE PROMINENT PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?

• Difficulty in breathing – Stress can cause shortness of breath due to changes in heart rate.
• Panic attacks – Panic attacks are basically fear responses. They’re an exaggeration of your body’s normal response to stress, danger, or excitement.
• Blurred eyesight or sore eyes – Sore eye is a broad term describing a range of possible sensations within the eyes. Eyes may feel as if a foreign object is in them, or they feel tired, hard, and heavy to keep open. One of the most common causes is conjunctivitis (or pink eye), but the sore eye also is caused by an infection, allergies, too much sun exposure, eye fatigue, or contact lens wear.
• Difficulty in sleep – There’s a close relationship between sleep and stress. Living with a stress problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on mental health.
• Fatigue – Prolonged stress can cause chronic fatigue, which may result in decreased energy levels.
• Muscle pain and Headaches – A stress headache is the most common type of headache. It is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck, and is often associated with muscle tightness or pain in these areas. Headaches are usually caused by either muscle pain, vascular issues, or both.
• High blood pressure – It is found that participants who reported high-stress levels over time had a 22 % increased risk of developing high blood pressure compared with those who reported sustained low-stress levels.
• The trouble with digestion – When stress activates the fight-or-flight response in your central nervous system, it can affect the digestive system by causing the esophagus to go into spasms, which increases the acid in the stomach, then indigestion.
• Feeling sick, dizzy, and fainting – Dizziness and sickness are common symptoms of stress, and If one is experiencing stress, dizziness and sickness can result.
• Sudden change in weight (either weight loss or weight gain)- Many people put on weight during periods of stress, others lose weight. Stress is known to cause a loss of appetite for some people, whereas some people start consuming more food, which results in weight loss or weight gain.
• Developing rashes and itchy skin, sweating – Stress rashes often appear as raised red bumps called hives. Itching and rashes can affect any part of the body, but often a stress rash is on the face, chest, neck, or arms. Hives can be tiny dots or large welts and form clusters. Areas affected by hives can feel itchy and more sweaty.

WHAT ARE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OR EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS?

• Find it hard to make decisions.
• Unable to concentrate.
• Unable to remember things, or make the memory feel slower than usual.
• Constantly worry or have feelings of dread.
• Snap at people.
• Grind your teeth or clench your jaw.
• Having sex-related problems, such as losing interest in sex or being unable to enjoy sex.
• Smoking, taking drugs or drinking more alcohol than usual.
• Restless, like you can’t sit still.
• Cry or feel tearful.
• Spend or shop too much.
• No exercise or too much exercise.
• Withdraw from people around you.
• Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody.
• Feeling defeated, as losing control or need to take control.
• Having a hard time relaxing and quieting the mind.
• Low self-esteem, and feeling worthless, lonely, and depressed.
• Seeing only the negative side of everything.
• Procrastinating and avoiding responsibilities.
• Having more nervous behaviors, such as nail biting, pacing, and fidgeting.

WHAT ARE THE WAYS OF STRESS MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION?

• Accept needs- Recognize your needs. Create situations that make you feel physically and mentally happy. Avoid agitating situations.
• Time management- Prioritize your activities, it can help you use your time well. Making a day-to-day schedule helps ensure you don’t feel defeated by everyday tasks and deadlines.
• Relaxation practice- Deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation are good ways to relax the body.
• Include exercise in daily routine-  Schedule time to walk outside, cycle, or join a dance class. Do whatever makes you happy. Daily exercise naturally produces stress-relieving hormones in the body and improves overall physical health.
• Give time to yourself- Schedule something that makes you feel better. It might be reading a book, going to the movies, getting a massage, or taking a walk.
• Eat healthy- Eating unprocessed foods, like whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetables is the foundation for a healthy body and mind. Eating healthy can stabilize your mood. Unhealthy food causes stress as well as food poisoning.
• Take proper sleep- Taking proper and deep sleep can help to cope with stress.
• Avoid smoke, alcohol, and drugs- Taking alcohol and drugs doesn’t reduce stress, in fact, they often worsen the condition.
• Talk to someone- Whether to family, friends, a counselor, or a support group, airing out and talking can help to reduce stress.

As we understand how dangerous stress can be. Our experts at Specialty Care Clinic  are always there to help you to cope with stress. Our specialist provides you with the best methods for stress management and prevention. If anyone of you has stress-related symptoms, connect with us at 469-545-9983.