In this guide, we explore everything you need to know about chronic stress symptoms and natural relief — from the science behind it to practical steps you can take starting today.
Stress: Symptoms, Causes, And How To Find Help
Most people think stress is negative and would like to avoid it at all costs, but stress is not bad. In reality, stress enables us to work at a certain level and even pushes us towards attaining something. Tiny amounts of stress are acceptable, but it is the constant stress over a long period of time which can be detrimental to one’s health.
If you are stressed out all the time, then it is some form of stress that is undermining your body and mind. The good news for those that do suffer from stress is that there are many options available and we are going to look at some of those below.
What Is Stress?
The body’s defense mechanism works round the clock protecting you from real or assumed danger through a process known as the fight or flight reflex. This is also called the “stress response.”
The “stress response” is the stressor’s primary mechanism of protection against any danger. When responding to acute stressors, the body prepares to protect itself, which is known as the fight or flight response. In this response, people are given extra energy or motivation to understand the scenario and react to it properly, which may, in some cases, even save their lives. For example, if someone feels themselves going into an accident, the body is able to commence the brakes, or the body will supply an impetus to defend itself.
Stress can also make you confront various tasks. It keeps you motivated during a committed work presentation, it enhances your concentration while attempting the game winning throw, or it gets you ready for that crucial learning exam when you feel like preferring TV instead. However, too much stress can result in problems such as having a destructive impact concerning health, feelings, productivity, relationships, and general living standards.
What Is Chronic Stress?
Your nervous system doesn’t differentiate well between emotional and physical danger. This explains the reason you felt some severe discomfort when your partner broke up with you.
If a friend’s argument, a workplace deadline, or a towering pile of bills is vexing you, then your body might react as if it’s undergoing a life threatening scenario, and in feeling this is where the problem lies. The more your stress systems are amplified, the easier it becomes to keep it activated, but much harder to turn it off.
Most of the time, your body is in a hyper-stressed state, which has a profoundly negative impact on your overall well-being. In doing so, it opens room for multifarious health issues. Stress has a ripple effect impact on multiple bodily functions. It has the potential to slow down the immune system, disrupt the digestive and reproductive organs, increase aging as well as the chances of having heart attacks or strokes, and, in its most critical state, alter the brain, which makes the body more prone to other psychological health issues like anxiety.
What Causes Stress?
Stress is one of those chronic elements in life which most of us think we know the cause of and the reason behind it.
Stressors are situations, activities, or locations that lead to stress and feeling overwhelmed.
We tend to use these stressors as blame for different negative episodes or events in our lives, such as a car breakdown or a bad romantic relationship with someone. Stress can actually be resting as well as enervating. In relation to that, moving into a new house, buying a new car, getting married, or having a kid can be thrilling and emotionally taxing.
At the end of the day, how stressed you are feeling depends on how you tend to perceive stress. While someone may feel stress when their parents are coming to visit them, others may feel at complete ease. The thing that may be troubling you might actually be trivial for someone else. This brings out the need for stress relief which is the reason why it is so beneficial for modern man.
Some of the usual reasons that tend to bring out stress are;
- Problems in the Family or with Friends
- Any Radical Transition in Life
- Money Problems
- Excessive Working Conditions
- Parenting
- Long term sickness
- Hormonal Conditions
- Dietary Disease
- Allergy Intolerance
Stress Symptoms:
Stress can arise in various forms:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Weight Issues
- Heart Problems
- Skin Condition
- Digestive Problems
- Memory Difficulties
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Hypertension
- Distractedness
How To Control Your Stress?
It is possible to manage stress in several ways, namely;
- Your Life Perspective: If you tend to lead a sedentary life, not much motivational thinking shall emerge and vice versa. Adopt a life perspective which is healthier, opt for yoga, going for walks and eating healthy should nurture motivation.
- Social Support: You should attempt to self-regulate by selecting positivity as your influence. Negative people encourage negative values. At the same time, positive friends and relatives would aid in helping you overcome stress.
- Mood: It is now possible for you to self regulate emotions. You can do so by utilizing learnt emotions as tools for avoiding stress.
- Exercise is Barterable: Create exercises that help you deal with your stress.
- Nutrition: Eating healthy foods helps your muscles produce more strength to deal with stress.
- Supplements: Phosphatidylserine that lowers cortisol makes it easier to cope along with the GABA booster, L-theanine. Adaptogens defend against stress while increasing endurance, energy, concentration, and stamina.
Dr. Ava Bell-Taylor, M.D.
Board-Certified OB/GYN & Functional Medicine Physician
Dr. Ava Bell-Taylor is a board-certified OB/GYN and functional medicine physician specializing in hormone balance, adrenal health, and whole-body wellness. She is the co-founder of Taylor MD Formulations and Taylor Medical Group in Atlanta, Georgia.
Learn more about Dr. Bell-Taylor



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