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Stress

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Stress

Do you have a sense of feeling more stressed and under pressure than you normally feel and have you, perhaps, noticed that you are feeling any of these physical symptoms on a far more regular basis:

  • Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing
  • Stomach or digestive problems
  • Headaches, dizziness or shaking
  • Aches and pains
  • Exhaustion or trouble sleeping
  • Muscle tension or jaw clenching
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)

Everyone experiences stress from time to time, because stress is your body’s natural reaction when challenges occur, and/or when there are changes to face in your life.

Stress can result in many different physical, emotional and behavioural responses and these responses are, primarily, there to help you to adjust to new situations, so stress can be positive – but, not if stress continues to affect you without some relief and some calm, stress-free periods in your life.

There are different types of stress, which are defined as follows:

Acute stress: Acute stress is short-term stress that comes and goes quickly. It can be positive or negative. Everyone experiences acute stress from time to time.
Episodic acute stress: Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress on a regular basis. With this kind of stress, you don’t ever get the time you need to return to a calm, relaxed state. Episodic stress frequently affects people working in certain professions, like nurses and other healthcare providers.
Chronic stress: Chronic stress is long-term stress that goes on for weeks or months. You may experience chronic stress due to marriage troubles, issues at work or financial problems. It is important to find ways to manage chronic stress because it can lead to health issues.

When you have long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the stress response causes wear and tear on your body. You may develop stress symptoms that are physical, such as those already mentioned, and/or psychological and emotional symptoms, for example:

  • Anxiety or irritability.
  • Depression.
  • Panic attacks.

Unfortunately, people who experience chronic stress may resort to ways of coping with their stress which are not only unhelpful, but also damaging to health, for example:

  • Alcohol use
  • Substance use
  • Comfort eating or developing an eating disorder
  • Compulsive social media scrolling
  • Compulsive shopping (retail therapy) and/or compulsive browsing on the Internet
  • Sex and/or viewing pornography
  • Gambling
  • Smoking/vaping

What causes stress?

Stress is how your body reacts to a change or challenge, and many different things can lead to it. Stressors can also be positive or negative. For instance, getting a new job or losing a job can both cause stress. Other causes of stress include:

  • Marriage, separation or divorce
  • Financial problems
  • An illness or death of a loved one (including pets)
  • Moving to a new house.
  • Retirement or redundancy
  • Going on holiday
  • Having a baby

Stress can also be acute, meaning short term. Causes of acute stress may include everyday stressors, like:

  • Taking your driving test
  • Studying for an exam
  • Being under pressure to achieve goals/targets
  • Getting ready for a presentation at work, college or university
  • Having an argument with a friend or loved one
  • Feeling under pressure to get tasks completed in a short amount of time
  • Experiencing many small problems all at once

Unfortunately, chronic stress can lead to many long-term health issues affecting your:

  • Immune system (like arthritis, fibromyalgia and psoriasis).
  • Digestive system (like weight gain or loss, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome).
  • Cardiovascular system (like high blood pressure, increased heart rate and heart palpitations).
  • Reproductive system (like infections, polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility).

Stress can also put you at a higher risk of developing a mental health condition, like depression or anxiety.

You should seek help if:

  • You feel overwhelmed
  • Your physical health is affected
  • Symptoms of stress aren’t going away with stress relief techniques
  • You’re using recreational drugs or alcohol to cope

It is natural to have stress sometimes, but long-term stress can cause physical, emotional and behavioural symptoms. It is important to get help, so that you can take back control and learn how to cope with the stressors in your life.

Talking with a trained, professional counsellor/therapist could help you find ways to deal with stress and it can help you become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings You might also find talking with a counsellor/therapist can help you, if your stress has also caused other mental health problems.

Pease contact me if you would like help in coping with your stress issues.

You can call me on my mobile (07913 979561) for a free, initial, 20 minutes telephone consultation or you can complete this Contact Form.