Physical Effects of Stress

Physical Effects of Stress

These occur as pressure of stress builds up and it affects the  body, especially when it is thrown out of balance, and  especially where there is no time for the body to re-adjust. It  becomes unhealthy stress and not the stress we need to  achieve things. With many work patterns these days the body  is always being thrown out of rhythm with the unsociable hours,  long hours as the impact on the digestive system.  Tension and irritability can be manifested as physical  symptoms as there is no other way the body can deal with it.  So when people find themselves in circumstances that they  feel are beyond their control they often subconsciously transfer  their feelings to manifest as a physical symptom, some of which
have been mentioned.

A common one is a headache; it is the feeling of hopelessness  or frustration that result I a headache. Not forgetting the  organic reasons for headaches, i.e. eyestrain, constipation or
next strain to name a few.

Skin problems such as eczema can be manifested; as it is the  way the body reacts if the stress is not dealt with in the rightway. The irritation in the subconscious manifests physically as  another form of irritation.

People drink coffee and red bull and other stimulants to keep  them awake, especially if they are tired, due to stress. They do  help in the short term, but what is in fact happening is they are  putting direct physical stress on the internal organs that are  responsible for detoxing, i.e. the liver. We get a boost of energy,  but it is short term and afterwards feels worse than you did  before. It creates a manufactured fight or flight. What  happens, you drink more, get stimulated, get addicted and  your body stops functioning naturally and you get the physical  effects of stress.

The physical symptoms of stress are:

·       Frequent illness: sickness, diarrhoea, headaches, and stomach aches: the bodies fight or flight in constant working.

·       Head feels hollow: blood diverted from the brain as fight or flight kicks in

·       Dry mouth: again the saliva glands in the mouth stop secreting as fight or flight kicks in.

·       Chest pains: the muscles are tight and tense.

·       Continuous or frequent nausea: again internal emotional reaction.

·       Changes in bowel habits: IBS and other causes by the body’s reactions

·       Weight gain or loss: lack of appetite or increase in eating due to the stress reaction

·       Sleeping patterns change: stress gives us insomnia coupled with fatigue, so we always get the TAT feeling ( Tired all the time)

These are some of the signs and symptoms, in a small quantity  they are good as long as you are on the upward curve, once  you reach the levelling out stage you need to back down or it  becomes a serious problem. People have these reactions when  they are nervous, stage fright, interviews nerves and flying for  example. But all these pass when the event has passed, often  it can focus an individual, especially in interviews and stage  fright. Next time you have a classroom based lesson, if you are  asked to stand up and introduce yourself, how would you feel,  any of the above? Imagine though, if you will, if those above  were with you all day every day!!