How Chronic Stress Affects The Body

“The number one root of all illness, as we know, is stress.”

 – Marianne Williamson

Stress is a natural response of our body to any challenging situation. It can be a good thing sometimes as it helps us to be alert, focused, and motivated. However, when stress becomes chronic, it can have severe implications on our physical and mental health.

Chronic stress is characterized by a prolonged and continuous form of stress that can be caused by various factors such as job pressure, financial problems, family issues, and chronic illness. In this post, we will discuss how chronic stress affects the body and what you can do to better manage it.

The Cardiovascular System

Chronic stress can have a significant impact on your cardiovascular system. It can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, which over time can lead to hypertension, heart attack, and stroke. The stress hormone cortisol can also cause inflammation in your blood vessels, which can further increase the risk of heart disease.

The Digestive System

Stress can affect your digestive system in various ways. When you experience stress it puts your body into a fight or flight state, effectively turning off all nonessential bodily functions like the desire to eat. It can cause acid reflux, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and even inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in most serious cases.

The Immune System

Chronic stress can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and diseases. The stress hormone cortisol can suppress the production of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting infections.

 Mental Health

Chronic stress can have a severe impact on your mental health. The drain stress takes on your mental state is exhausting. When left unattended stress can multiply into deeper states of internal unrest like burnout.

In some cases, stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Which can grow to affect your cognitive function, memory, and decision-making ability. Taking back control of your own mind and finding the confidence to heal and push past the mental blocks that keep you locked in a cycle of self-neglect can be difficult. We are what we think and if we continue to ignore our needs even in the face of mental deterioration, we do ourselves a great disservice.

Managing Chronic Stress

Managing chronic stress is essential for your physical and mental well-being. Here are some basic tips that can help support your well-being:

1. Identify what triggers your stress.

2. Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga.

3. Engage in regular body movement to lessen stress and improve your overall health.

4. Get enough sleep to help your body recover from stress.

5. Support your physical and mental health with nutrient-rich foods.

6. Spend time in nature

7. Build a support network

Ultimately the way chronic stress affects the body is personal. Many different experiences can make it more difficult including:

• Having a long-term physical health condition
• Having a pre-existing mental health problem
• Poor internal and external boundaries
• Living far away from family or friends, or having difficult relationships with them
• Experiencing loneliness
• Experiencing money worries
• Feeling guilt while resting

These barriers keep us from living a life of balance, peace, and purpose. 

Final Notes

Chronic stress is a silent killer that can have severe implications on your physical and mental health. Feeling the joy being sucked out of your favorite activities, and lacking the motivation to perform your hygiene let alone your self-care. Struggling to find enjoyment in the company of those around you and instead squirreling yourself away to ruminate on your stress-filled thoughts. There are so many intimate ways stress wreaks havoc on your life. 

I know in my own self-investment journey to overcome burnout, the guilt associated with seeking something as simple as rest, was astounding. But learning to overcome that inner critic and start taking the steps to find myself again as a woman, a wife, a sister, and a friend is worth the discomfort of new beginnings.

 Building self-awareness is the first step we can take toward investing in our own mental and physical well-being. I welcome you to follow along with the In-nested community and join like-minded women seeking to reduce the negative impact of chronic stress on their bodies and lead a healthier and happier life. The newsletter from The Nest found below is an easy way to kickstart those baby steps toward reprioritizing your needs again. It will take time to relearn how to invest in yourself, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.

Until nest time,