THE STRESS FACTOR
CHRONIC STRESS
So, what even is chronic stress?
Technically speaking, chronic stress is defined as stress "resulting from repeated exposure to situations that lead to the release of stress hormones." Usually, the experience of stress is fairly short-lived, such as the anticipation leading up to a big exam or thinking that the car in the next lane over is about to hit you, however some people experience extreme stress in their day to day lives. People who experience high levels of stress on a day to day basis may be under a lot of stress financially, be struggling with an abusive or dysfunctional relationship, or work in a very high-pressure job environment. Essentially people who experience chronic stress have a factor in their life that causes them to feel stressed all the time, and they typically do not have healthy ways to cope with this stress. For me, I became so stressed out because I would constantly take on more than I could handle in my life and it got to be too much.
“People do not become ill despite their lives, but rather because of their lives.”
- Gabor Mate, M.D.
Symptoms of Chronic Stress
Chronic Stress can look different for different people, and it impacts people very differently in the long-run. Here are just a few symptoms of chronic stress:
Fatigue
Headaches
Irritability
Digestive Problems
Difficulty sleeping
Low self-esteem
Rapid, disorganized thoughts
Feeling helpless
When I was experiencing chronic stress, I had a lot of these symptoms. I had this mentality that if I could just complete the project I was working on, or push through to the end of the week, that things would get better. It was this really unhealthy rhetoric I was telling myself so that instead of dealing with my stress, I would just try to wait until my situation changed and hope I would feel better then. Nothing ever got better and I just kept getting more and more frustrated with myself. I only finally began to overcome my chronic stress and release all of that pain and frustration through beginning to change my mindset. Learn more about my journey and how I learned to change my thought process here.
Dangers of Chronic Stress
Chronic stress can manifest in many different ways, but long-term chronic stress isn’t good for anyone. Chronic stress has been linked to heart disease, digestion problems, the triggering of otherwise dormant genetic diseases, and much more. Read below to learn about specific impacts of chronic stress and how they act on the body.
The Stress Response
Increased Energy
When the stress response is activated, a person will experience a rush of adrenaline which can help them to escape a stressful situation. However, when a person has this rush of energy occurring all the time, it can lead to an inefficient use of energy, muscle disease, or an increased severity of diabetes.
Suppression of Digestion
In order to better combat a stressor, the body will slow down digestion in order to focus more energy on the stressor. During chronic stress, this can lead to the formation of ulcers, an inability to repair existing ulcers, and an increased fat deposit.
Increased Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
When confronted with a stressful situation, adrenaline is released in the body and heart rate and blood pressure rise. While this can help in a fight or flight situation, if experienced daily it can have serious long-term effects on the body such as an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
Suppression of Growth
During a stress response, growth is temporarily suppressed in order to divert energy to the stressor. Experienced long-term however, a suppression of growth can result in psychogenic dwarfism (in children), an increased risk of diabetes, or osteoporosis.
Suppression of Reproduction
The body will temporarily suppress reproduction during a stressful situation in order to divert energy to the stressor. Long-term, this can mean irregular cycles or failure of implantation of a fertilized egg in women, and in men it can man decreased testosterone levels.
Enhanced Cognition
Enhanced cognition allows a person to improve their short-term decision making skills so that they may focus entirely on the stressor during a stressful situation. Experienced in the long-term however, enhanced cognition can lead to memory loss, increased anxiety and/or depression.
Further Information
If you would like to learn more about stress related symptoms or the dangers of chronic stress, check out these awesome sources below!
