Stress Help Guide

Most people think that stress is just nothing more than a simple problem that only affects their mind. However, studies show that stress can put significant effects not only on the mind but in your physical and emotional state as well.

Health problems that are caused by stress include physical symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. Stress related stomach pain is usually characterized by a pain on either or both sides of your abdomen. The level of pain can range from being mild to severe enough to cause the patient to have some difficulty walking. Knowing how to manage stress is the key in relieving stress related stomach pain.

Dr. Francisco J. Marrero says that “certainly there’s a strong link between the gut and the brain.” Our gut or stomach is like a smaller version of our brain when in terms of the number nerves found in any organ other than the brain. This huge number of highly sensitive nerves in our gut is the physical reason why stress and extreme emotion can result to various digestive problems including stomach pain.

Digestive tract problem is the most noticeable physical symptom associated with stress and anxiety. During extreme emotion and stress our body undergoes neuroendocrine and physiological changes that have some significant influence in the different processes that take place in the whole body. The physical manifestations of stress like stomach pain can occur and stop abruptly and without warning, the symptoms can also be very intense at times.

However, stomach ache can also be caused by a number of factors like an underlying medical condition like GI ulcers or bacterial and viral infection, so it’s important that you seek medical attention to rule out any of these reasons. Although there’s not much difference between the stomach pain from stress and the other physical disorders, stress related stomach pain usually occurs when a person undergoes an intense emotional response or in a stressful situation. During this stressful period, the body goes into overdrive and causing instant distress to the digestive system, thus creating symptoms like nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea. Although it may appear very minor at first, but in the long run, stress can further affect other systems in the body and cause cardiovascular disorders and high blood pressure.

Although there’s no medication that can be given to prevent stress related stomach pain, doctors suggests several things to help relieve the symptom when it starts. The best thing that you can do is to get out of the stressful situation; doing this can usually stop the pain. Other things that you can do to relieve stress related stomach pain is to practice breathing exercises. To do this, you just have to close your eyes, take a deep breathe slowly while you count to 5 and then slowly exhale at the same rate. Repeat the procedure 10 times while relaxing your mind. Breathing exercise is an effective way of calming your mind and slowing down your increased heart rate. This is best during a very busy and stressful schedule. It’s also important that you have enough sleep, balanced diet and regular exercise.