Home » Health » The Positive and Negative Effects of Chronic Stress: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

The Positive and Negative Effects of Chronic Stress: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Stress is a negative word associated with fears, anxiety, and the inability to make the right decisions, but it has some positive images that help the body secrete adrenaline, which in turn prompts the completion of tasks and enhances the ability to solve problems.

The feeling of stress accompanied ancient humans as a direct response to confronting danger and as a means of protection from predators and various threats.

Of course, the threats and challenges facing humans have changed in the modern era, and humans are no longer likely to face challenges related to obtaining their food or threats from predatory animals except in rare cases, but there are new challenges, such as work exhaustion, caring for children, and paying bills. All of these pressures give warnings to the mind, and put it in a state of constant stimulation and tension that affects all its daily tasks.

Signs and symptoms of chronic stress

Chronic stress is defined as a constant feeling of pressure and exhaustion over a long period of time. It slowly drains a person’s psychological and physical energy. Signs of this depletion appear in the form of a group of symptoms that appear together for several weeks. The most important of these symptoms are sporadic body pain, insomnia, and a change in usual social behavior, such as Staying at home for long periods, in addition to low energy, inability to concentrate, and emotional withdrawal, and chronic stress may develop into other psychological disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Chronic stress is a constant feeling of pressure and exhaustion over a long period of time (Shutterstock)

Causes of chronic stress

Personal trauma or ongoing abuse may be major sources of chronic stress, including domestic violence, child abuse, and traumatic events such as natural disasters, wartime situations, or serious illness.

Poverty is also a major cause of chronic stress and anxiety, due to the long-term effects of financial stress, debt and insecurity.

Specialists point out that discrimination against someone can be a cause for concern, such as discrimination against people with special needs or people of color, who often feel anxious due to ongoing stigma towards them from society.

Work stress is also one of the most common causes of anxiety, because some workplaces lack flexibility and empathy with workers, which causes constant anxiety for them and negatively affects their mental and physical health.

Stress does not leave a person the opportunity to take care of himself and his mood (Pixels)

How do you know that you suffer from chronic stress?

Chronic stress occurs as a result of a repeated response to stress, and the body always remains in a state of imagined threat even for the simplest things that can simply pass by, but they cause a lot of discomfort, which makes the person constantly moody and worried about something whose essence is not completely known.

Stress does not leave the person an opportunity to take care of himself and his mood. It becomes like a monster that devours all the reasons for happiness, and may also turn it into the opposite, due to the pessimistic outlook of the anxious person. Chronic stress is not linked to a specific time, but it continues for a long time due to major problems or mutual problems on the surface. Over a period of time, its symptoms last longer than a month.

Sometimes a stressed person becomes more irritable with those around him, and may stop responding to messages, and cancel plans to meet friends, which becomes an extra burden for him.

Daily life pressures give the mind warnings and put it in a state of constant stimulation and tension (Shutterstock)

Simple and effective methods of treatment

Psychologists say that regular exercise keeps cortisol levels in the body under control, daily movement reduces stress levels, and walking for 20 minutes a day can improve memory and cognition and reduce stress.

The role of relaxation exercises and techniques cannot be neglected in reducing stress and lowering cortisol levels in the blood. Relaxation techniques include yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and prayer.

The food a person eats affects how he responds to anxiety and stress, and studies indicate that some diets may cause depression and anxiety, especially those that contain large amounts of sugar, while diets that rely on fish products and healthy fats reduce stress levels.

To maintain balance, experts recommend eating small meals rich in protein every 3 hours to avoid low blood sugar.

2024-01-11 21:00:52

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