According to a survey, work stress is the biggest hurdle towards employee well-being and affects their commitment and overall performance. Other than work, chronic stress disturbs personal relationships, leaving a person isolated due to anger issues and mood swings.
Stress is not all bad, as it’s our body’s natural response to unfavorable circumstances. You get the motivation to fight and prepare yourself for any situation. However, when stress persists for too long and doesn’t resolve on its own, corrective action is necessary to prevent its harmful effects. In this article, you’ll learn about the adverse impact of chronic stress on the mind and body and effective strategies for prevention.
How Stress Harms Your Body
Stress effects can vary from person to person depending on your personality and sensitivity towards any stressor. Generally, we experience the following psychological, behavioral, and physical changes:
1. Behavioral Effects
Stressed people are easily identified because of behavioral changes, such as social withdrawal and anger outbursts. They remain grumpy without any apparent reason and are pessimistic about life possibilities.
2. Physical Effects
When stressed, you experience a fast heartbeat, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating, etc. These body changes can cause chest pain or headaches. Many people complain about stomach issues or stretched muscles.
3. Health Problems
Along with the behavioral and physical effects of stress, other risk factors are:
1. Weaker Immunity
The link between stress and the immune system is under study, and multiple studies support that stress causes a weaker immune response against harmful germs and bacteria. Individuals who leave stress symptoms untreated for too long become vulnerable to common infections like the cold, allergies, and flu.
2. Impaired Cognition
People under stress experience low productivity and decision-making power with impaired cognition. Moreover, you experience memory issues and difficulty concentrating on work or learning new things.
3. Cardiac Issues
Stress disturbs our heartbeat and affects normal heart functioning. When you experience stress symptoms over an extended period, your heart health deteriorates. That is why people with chronic anxiety issues have higher chances of cardiac arrest.
Effective Stress Management Strategies
Here, we are sharing three routine activities that you need to incorporate into your life as nature therapy for different stressors:
1. Self-Hygiene
Managing your hygiene and cleanliness is an effective way to tackle daily stressors. A clean body allows you to experience mental clarity, providing space for productive and creative thoughts. Self-care can be anything from hot water baths with bath bombsto manicures and pedicures or a bedtime skin care regimen. Just spare some time during the day or week for self-care and stress reduction.
2. Regular Social Meet-Ups
Social support from friends and family acts as stress relief, as it has a calming effect on our nervous system. When we receive kind words or listening ears to vent our frustration, we feel relaxed emotionally. The feeling of connectivity improves your confidence and restores your energy to take life challenges as opportunities.
3. Meditation
Meditation is the third most effective approach you can easily incorporate into your routine. This mental exercise focuses on breathing and eliminating all destructive thoughts. You experience mental clarity after understanding your feelings and emotions without fear of judgment. Just 10 to 15 minutes of daily practice brings in positive energies to respond to any threat productively and harmlessly.
Bottom Line
Stress is evident in this fast-paced world, particularly in pursuing high-end career goals. Its symptoms and effects intensity vary from person to person, depending upon personal prescription. However, natural stress management strategies prevent stress-related health issues and empower you to tackle uncertainties effectively. Ensure you closely check stress symptoms and warning signs to initiate treatment before it turns into a chronic problem.
