Stress affects everyone from one degree or another. There are many types of daily stressors, such as the stress of driving in traffic, relationship stresses, job stresses, and financial stresses.
There are also stressors that come just once in a while but tend to be very severe, such as the death of a loved one, changing jobs, or having a baby. These stressors all add up to the point where it is inevitable that you will have symptoms and adverse health effects.
Stress is linked to several kinds of disease that are normally thought of as physical illnesses. These include high blood pressure, anxiety, strokes, heart attacks, depression, disturbances in the immune system (so you are more susceptible to disease), and viral conditions, such as the flu, the common cold, AIDS, and herpes.
Even autoimmune diseases are affected by stress. There are more than 100 autoimmune diseases that can be triggered or worsened by stress.
Stress Can Affect the Skin
When you are under stress, you can get a variety of skin disease, such as hives, certain types of rashes, and atopic dermatitis. The GI system is also affected by stressful circumstances. They can give you irritable bowel syndrome, peptic or gastric ulcers, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD.
People Don’t Sleep Well When They are Experiencing Stress
Stress can affect not only your ability to sleep but it can affect your nervous system in general. People with dementia or Parkinson’s disease will find that their diseases are negatively impacted by stress.
When you are under stress, there are a number of physical and emotional signs and symptoms indicating that you’re suffering from stress. You won’t have all of these symptoms as there are so many, but even a few symptoms indicate some degree of stress.
Here are some typical symptoms of stress:
- Feeling dizzy, faint, or lightheaded
- Having pain in your back, neck or muscles
- Feeling tremors, especially around the hands and lips
- Stammering a lot or stuttering
- Grinding or grating your teeth
- Having pain in the jaw or headaches
- Developing hives, “goose bumps”, or skin rashes
- Having sores from herpes, increased risk of infection, or colds
- Having difficulty swallowing and a dry mouth
- Feeling sweatiness of the feet or hands, or having cold extremities
- Sweating a lot or blushing frequently
- Having a buzzing in your ears that may also feel like popping or ringing in the ears
- Having a rapid heartbeat, palpitations, or chest pain
- Sighing frequently or having problems with breathing
- Having a sudden attack of panic
- Suffering from diarrhea or constipation
- Suffering from flatulence or severe belching
- Having nausea, abdominal pain, or symptoms of heartburn
- Having allergies you cannot explain
- Being disinterested in being on time or what you look like
- Feeling worthless or lonely
- Feeling suicidal
- Having spells of crying
- Feeling overwhelmed by things or overloaded by life’s expectations
- Being confused, disorganized, or forgetting things
- Having nightmares or difficulty getting to sleep
- Having an increased appetite or a decreased appetite
- Having difficulty assimilating new information
- Having mood swings or feeling depressive symptoms
- Being hostile, frustrated, or angry
- Feeling nervous, guilty, worried, or anxious
- Having a decreased libido or a decrease in sexual abilities
- Urinating often
- Having problems making new decisions
- Feeling fidgety or tapping your feet often
- Being edgy, irritable, or frustrated
- Overreacting to things you used to think were minor
- Having more accidents than normal
- Suffering from an increase in compulsions or obsessions
- Having decreased productivity at work or a reduced efficiency at work
- Lying to cover up poor work performance
- Having speech that is too fast or mumbling
- Being excessively suspicious or defensive
- Having problems sharing with others or in communicating with others
- Being constantly tired and weak
- Using over the counter drugs to an excessive degree
- Losing or gaining weight with no change in your dietary habits
- Having problems with compulsive spending or having a gambling addiction
- Using illicit drugs, alcohol or cigarettes
As you can see, this is a long list because stress can have a huge impact on your behavior, mood, and emotional state. Stress also effects your organ systems and the tissues inside your whole body.
What Can You Do About Excessive Stress?
There are things you can do to reduce the perception of stress in your life. You can practice meditation, guided imagery, tai chi, yoga, or qi gong.
You can also attempt to de-stress your life. This means getting rid of a bad relationship, changing a job you hate, or learning how to better manage your finances. Anything you can do that will decrease the stress on your body will help the organs of your body stay healthier for a longer period of time.
