WE TALK ABOUT STRESS

WE TALK ABOUT STRESS…

 

We talk about stress all the time, but do we really understand what stress is? Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure.

Stress can come from any event or thought that makes us feel nervous, frustrated, or angry. It can also be positive in short bursts like when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline.

TYPES OF STRESS

We talk about two stress in two ways:

• ACUTE STRESS: This is the type of stress that goes away quickly. It helps you deal with difficult or dangerous situations even when you do something new or exciting. For instance, the feeling you get when you have an argument with your partner, when you go bungee jumping, or when you brake suddenly while driving. We all suffer with acute stress at some point on our lives.

• CHRONIC STRESS: This is the stress that lasts for a longer period of time. You might suffer with chronic stress if you have issues at work, have marital or family problems, or living with financial difficulties.

You can become so used to this kind of stress, that you could be quite unaware that it is causing you a problem. However, if you do not find a way to deal with it, it may lead to a health problem.

My personal experience of chronic stress saw me collapsing at work and being diagnosed with anxiety due to a work situation.

I talked about my stress to my GP who signed me off work. I took me a few months before I felt myself again.

I used food to help me manage my stress, and I am now a firm believer that as much as food can help manage your stress, it can also be a contributor to stress. Check out my blog/post “Food can reduce stress“, or “Stress reducing foods”

 

SO, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS AND ANXIETY?

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and tension. People with anxiety usually have reoccurring thoughts or concerns that may cause them to avoid certain situations. Anxiety can cause effects on your body such as sweating, feeling restless, tense, and can cause your heart to beat rapidly.

Feeling anxious may give you a boost of energy and even help you to focus, however for people with chronic anxiety, the fear could be long term and become overwhelming.

 

EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE BODY

The body deals with stress by releasing hormones. This in turn makes your brain to be more active, causes your muscles to tense and raises your pulse. These body reactions are good in short term to help the body protect itself, to deal with the situation causing the stress.

The problem arises when you have chronic stress, as your body continues to be in this state of alert even when there is no danger.

Over a long period of time, this can put you at risk of developing health issues. These could include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression or anxiety, acne or eczema and even menstrual problems in women. If you already suffer with a long-term condition, stress can make it worse.

SIGNS OF ACUTE STRESS

Too much stress can cause physical and emotional symptoms on your body. Some signs of stress could be:

• Diarrhea or Constipation
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Forgetfulness
• Frequent aches and pains
• Lack of energy
• Sleeping issues
• Digestive problems
• Weight loss or gain
• Stiff neck
• Sexual problems

 

So, if you want to talk about stress, or suffer with stress and need some help or support to get your body to relax again, get in touch and let PerezNutri_Health, get your body to feel like you, again.