How to Deal with Chronic Stress & Anxiety

It is normal to feel stressed occasionally, but stress becomes a problem and a danger to one’s health when it is chronic and long term. The body is not designed to have a stress response system that is constantly activated and on alert, which happens when one is repeatedly exposed to a variety of stressors for an extended period. 

If you live a busy life and need tips on how to deal with chronic stress then you have come to the right place. Keep reading to learn more about chronic stress, anxiety and how to deal with them.

What is Chronic Stress?

The nature of stress is not as important as the amount of it. When the amount of stress exceeds an individual’s tolerance level, that boost in performance can start to decline. When stress gets too much and becomes out of control it affects our whole being. As we are not meant to be under stress for a prolonged period, this is when damage occurs.

Cortisol is an essential hormone needed to sustain homeostasis of the body, it is often referred to as the stress hormone because it influences, regulates and modulates many of the changes that occur in the body in response to stress. These include anti-inflammatory pathways, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, central nervous system activation, macronutrient metabolism to maintain energy and blood glucose, heart and blood vessel tone and contraction as well as
immune responses.

Cortisol levels increase in response to stress but should naturally return to normal along with other bodily functions after a stressful event. Chronic stress occurs when your cortisol levels never return to normal, but instead remain at high levels for weeks, months and sometimes even years. 

Some of the most frequently reported causes of stress include:

• A high-pressure job and work related or financial stress
• Stress associated with living in poor socioeconomic conditions
• Stressful events suffered in childhood
• Stress associated with caring for another
• Traumatic events
• Relationship stress

Stress often occurs during important life transitions which places people in certain life stages at greater risk of stress. These stages may include children, teens, newlyweds, new parents, working parents, single parents, and seniors. 

The American Institute of Stress Statistics reports that: “About 33 percent of people report feeling extreme stress. 77 percent of people experience stress that affects their physical health. 73 percent of people have stress that impacts their mental health.” Chronic stress has become a nationwide epidemic which is very dangerous since its often the catalyst to a lot of chronic health conditions. If you suffer from chronic stress and interested in learning holistic methods to deal with chronic stress and mood swings then read on for more details.

How Does Chronic Stress and Anxiety Affect the Body?

Excess chronic stress can manifest in emotional, behavioral and even physical ways, it is important to remember that the symptoms of stress are very individual and differ greatly between people. Common physical symptoms of stress include:

• Sleep disturbances or changes in sleeping habits, sleeping too much or too little or struggling with insomnia
• Muscle tension and aches
• Chronic headaches
• Gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, bloating etc.
• Extreme fatigue and exhaustion

Emotional and behavioral symptoms that may result from stress include:

• Nervousness
• Changes in eating habits leading to weight gain or weight loss
• Loss of enthusiasm and energy
• Mood changes such as irritability, anxiety and depression

How Does Chronic Stress Affect the Hormones?

Your adrenal glands are endocrine glands located on top of your kidneys. They produce many important hormones, including cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline.  The adrenal glands are responsible for regulating the body’s adaptations to stress of any kind.

Adrenal fatigue is a consequence of stress and has been identified as a collection of physiological signs and symptoms all resulting from the decreased ability of the adrenal glands to respond adequately to stress. It occurs when the amount and intensity of stress overwhelm the body’s capacity to compensate for and deal with chronic stress. Adrenal fatigue occurs after prolonged exposure to physical, emotional, or psychological stressors. It is also sometimes referred to as subclinical adrenal insufficiency, adrenal stress, adrenal exhaustion, adrenal burnout and adrenal imbalance. 

The most common symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:

• Excessive fatigue and exhaustion
• Hair loss
• Hormonal imbalances
• Poor digestion
• Nausea
• Poor immune function
• Frequent infections
• Delayed recovery
• Dizziness
• Abnormal blood pressure
• Inability to concentrate
• And an inability to cope with stressors.

Adrenal fatigue that is unmanaged may lead to:

• Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid, 
• A weakened gastrointestinal tract increasing the chance of poor gut health, inflammation and dysbiosis 
• A decreased immune system and
• An increased risk of infections.

If you want more details about how stress affects the body, click here. Stress is a common trigger for anxiety as it promotes persistent feelings of uncertainty or dread in situations that are not actually threatening. Failure to manage chronic stress can easily lead to anxiety or anxiety-related disorder if not managed. I go into more details on the subject in this blog post.

How Does Chronic Stress Affects Your Mood and Emotional Regulation?

Emotionally speaking, fluctuating moods are normal for individuals dealing with chronic stress. Feeling lethargic after a long day, the ever-growing pressures of keeping up with work, family, relationships, health, irritability close to menstruation, and prolonged sadness after a personal loss or trauma are all natural (although perhaps less desirable) shifts in mood. There are thousands of reasons our moods can fluctuate, but people dealing with chronic stress may have times where:

• They can’t figure out why they’re feeling down. 
• Their lethargy feels chronic
• Their irritability continuous and
• Their moods shift from one to the next as though they have a life of their own!

Some may write it off as a sign that they need a vacation or a spa day, but in reality it’s time to look a little deeper into the possible root causes and address possible signs of chronic stress.