Tension and stress: How they impact your body, and ways to enjoy healthy living

Manifestations of tension or stress

The widely accepted definition of stress is that it is a kind of change that can cause a strain either physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Stress is nature’s way of indicating that all is not right with the body and therefore stress to a certain degree is desirable. The stress that we encounter in our daily lives has many manifestations:

Eustress
Have you ever felt that adrenaline rush when you think of skydiving or mountain-climbing? Then it’s eustress that you are experiencing. This type of stress is not only is mesmerizing but is also vital for the optimal functioning of the body.

Acute stress
This kind of stress lasts for a short while. It can have positive effects such as eustress or it can be dilapidating to the mind. This is the most common type of stress that most individuals face. Feeling frustrated in a traffic jam is a good example of this kind of stress.

Stress that is Episodic
Remember the phrase “absent-minded professor” and “drama queen”? Well it’s nothing but episodic stress in action. Everything seems to be going haywire and episodic stress can take control of your life if not kept in check.

Chronic-in-nature Stress
If stress gets chronic in nature it can seem as if time stands still and never moving. It is difficult to eliminate this stress completely. Some common examples that can lead to such a stress are a failed marriage or a job that is extremely demanding. This stress will eventually lead to fatigue.

“Fight or flight?” Which would you choose?

Commonly termed as the fight-or-flight response, it is a natural response from the human body in the face of an event that is perceived as threat full. When faced with this response, there is a release of hormones in the body. These hormones include adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones can increase the pulse rate, slow the digestive process, stop blood flow to the muscles, and can also alter several autonomous functions of the nervous system. This gives you an adrenaline rush and you feel a spurt in the energy levels.

The termed was coined originally for the human mind’s will to fight the threat head on or flee from the situation. However, now this term is applied to stressful events where neither fight nor flight are possible options. Such events include routine traffic jams and common stress at work. When the perceived stressful stimulus disappears, the human body is engineered to return to normality through another natural procedure called the relaxation response. However, this seldom happens in extreme cases such as chronic stress.

Healthy living and stress: Effects of chronic stress

Chronic stress combined with an overworked autonomous nervous system can have devastating effects, especially physically. The physical symptoms are slight in nature such as recurrent headaches and an increased vulnerability to colds. However, chronic stress can lead to more acute health concerns if not kept in check. Some of these serious health conditions are listed below and it should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list:

• Heart ailment
• Acute depression
• Balding
• Type 2 diabetes
• Hyperthyroidism
• Obesity
• Anxious behavior or obsessive compulsive disorder
• Decrease in libido
• Dental decay
• Ulcers and possibility of cancer

Rough estimates project that almost 90% of the patient’s visits to a doctor are due to symptoms that are caused by stress.

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