The levels of stress are increasing for many due to the multiple crises affecting people around the globe, with social media and news from cable network, it can be like an all-consuming event when you get listen to news. Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension as a reaction to an event or demand. Everyone expresses stress from time to time . Stress can be beneficial because it can help you cope with potentially serious situations. Your body responds to stress by releasing hormones that increase your heart and breathing rates and ready your muscles to respond.
Due to the global pandemic , many people are now confined their homes and then watching news , this can be extremely stressful – right??
The global pandemic have really resulted to increased level of depression and anxiety. Basically stress is part of daily life but it can be increased due to multiple news or stories coming up everyday on the internet , cable networks etc Due to so much uncertainty in the world right now, reading news can worsen our stress and anxiety
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, checking the news or social media may feel comforting at the moment, but the effect can be detrimental to our health as well. Having known this , let us look at the signs of stress
SIGNS OF STRESS
The signs of stress include the following
- chronic fatigue
- disruption in sleep
- Changes in libido
- Acne
- Headaches
- Frequent sickness
- Sweating
- Rapid heart beat
HOW YOU CAN MANAGE STRESS
Despite all stressful new, you should consider it a priority to take care of yourself which can be the first step to feeling much better . One way of doing this is to disconnect the source of the stress- turn off the stressful news
It is also very important to engage in self-awareness and check-in with yourself regarding how much news you are currently consuming, how often does it come and its impact on your mental health . Watch out your moods at different points in time during the day and see if you are still on the right track or doing the things that bring you joy.
A strategy to improve feelings of hopelessness is to to experience these feelings, connect them to your values. It is also important to note that finding an activity that makes you feel you are doing something about stress can help you feel less powerless. If you want more ways you can manage your stress, here is a guide that will show you
EFFECTS OF STRESS ON YOUR BODY
Everyone do experience stress from time to time because it is natural body reaction to life events or situations .There are different situations that can trigger stress which ranges from everyday responsibilities to serious life events . Stress can also be beneficial to your health because it can help you to cope with potentially serious situations . Our body responds to stress by releasing hormones that increase your heart and breathing rates and ready your muscles to respond.
However when stress levels stay elevated far longer than is necessary, it can affect your health. Such stress is known as chronic stress. Below are the symptoms of chronic stress which also affect your health
- irritability
- anxiety
- depression
- headaches
- insomnia
Now let us look at the some of the effects on Stress on your body
The body’s central nervous system controls your body’s response to stress. In time of fear or emergency situations, the hypothalamus sends a signal to the adrenal glands to release the stress hormones known as cortisol . These hormones then increase your heartbeat and send blood rushing to the areas that need it most such as your muscles, heart etc.
In the absence of the perceived fear, the hypothalamus signals the systems to go back to normal . If the CNS fails to return to normal, or if the stressor doesn’t go away, the response will continue. In this case , the stress is now a chronic stress and this is a factor in behaviors such as overreacting or not eating enough, alcohol drug abuse, and social withdrawal.
-Stress hormones affect your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. During the stress response, you breathe faster in an effort to quickly distribute oxygen-rich blood to your body. In cases of breathing problems like asthma , stress can make more harder to breath. Stress hormones cause your blood vessels to constrict and divert more oxygen to your muscles so you’ll have more strength to take action and this also raises your blood pressure leading to high chance of having heart attack.
-Under stress, the liver produces extra glucose giving you a boost of energy , however your body may not be able to keep up with this extra glucose .Rapid breathing and increased heart rate can also upset your digestive system leading to a high chance of having acid reflux or heart burn.
-When you are stresses , your muscles tense up to protect themselves from injuries and tend to release again once you relax. In times of being constantly under stress, the muscles will not get the chance to relax , this leads to headaches, back and shoulder pain etc .
– Short-term stress may cause men to produce more of the male hormone testosterone, this effect doesn’t last. If stress continues for a long time, the testosterone can begin to drop, hence interfere with the production of sperm causing erectile dysfunction
