Stress Help Guide

Stress is a biological term that is used to describe the reaction of the human body to emotional or physical threats. Whether the threats are real or perceived is irrelevant, as the body responds the same way to real or imagined danger. Physically, the body responds to the threat by secreting hormones into the body by the central nervous system. These hormones can create biological changes in the body that creates symptoms of stress long after the stress has diminished. Symptoms of stress can make life difficult in many ways. As a matter of fact, symptoms of stress can be just as detrimental or more so than the actual cause of the stress itself. Symptoms of stress will vary according to the cause of stress and to the individual, as each person deals with stress in a different way. Symptoms of stress can be categorized into three separate categories:

Physical Symptoms of Stress-

Headaches: Headaches can occur immediately or long after the stress-inducing situation. Once the individual is safe from the threat (or perceived threat), there is a period of “cooling down.” Headaches will occur due to the strain placed on the body to react in such a manner. These are often referred to as tension headaches.

High blood pressure: High blood pressure occurs immediately when the body perceives a threat. High blood pressure can eventually lead to health problems, primarily of a cardiac nature.

Mental Symptoms of Stress-

Depression: Depression is the result of continual threats that lead to despair. It may not necessarily derive form one source, as there may be several factors in an individual’s life that promote stress.

Anxiety: Anxiety will begin once the threat is perceived and may continue for an indefinite amount of time after the threat has diminished. Anxiety can lead to physical symptoms of stress, such as high blood pressure.

Behavioral Symptoms of Stress-

Erratic eating habits: Prolonged stress can lead to a reduced appetite or it can lead to binging, depending on how the individual responds to stress. This may incur health issues that are related to weight, both obesity and malnutrition.

Drug use: Drug use is a coping mechanism in response to traumatic events or repeated high stress situations. Drug abuse can lead to numerous health issues and would only compound the problem, rather than resolve it.

These are only a few of the symptoms of stress, as there are many more symptoms of stress that are not listed. Symptoms of stress can be just as damaging to the individual’s health as the threat itself. In order to deal with the symptoms of stress, one must first deal with the situation that is causing the stress in the first place. If not dealt with, the symptoms of stress will recur and lead to other problems.