How Stressed Are You?

“Everyone experiences stress from time to time. There are different types of stress—all of which carry physical and mental health risks. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time. 

Some people may cope with stress more effectively and recover from stressful events more quickly than others. Why does it matter to know what kind of stress you're experiencing?

🚨Because not all stress is bad.

In a dangerous or high-pressure situation, stress signals the body to prepare to face a threat or flee to safety. In these situations, your pulse quickens, you breathe faster, your muscles tense, and your brain uses more oxygen and increases activity—all functions aimed at survival and in response to stress. In non-life-threatening situations, stress can motivate people, such as when they need to take a test or interview for a new job.

However, if our bodies aren't able to recover and be resilient against stress, the long-term impact of the fight or flight response can harm your health.

Coping with the impact of chronic stress can be challenging. Because the source of long-term stress is more constant than acute stress, the body never receives a clear signal to return to normal functioning. With chronic stress, those same lifesaving reactions in the body can disturb the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems. Some people may experience mainly digestive symptoms, while others may have headaches, sleeplessness, sadness, anger, or irritability.

"Over time, continued strain on your body from stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, including mental disorders such as depression or anxiety.”

-www.nimh.nih.gov, 2021

That’s why managing stress is not only a priority, but a requirement for healthy living.

What can you do to de-stress today?