5 Reasons Why You Need to Manage Your Stress and Mental Health
The importance of managing our stress and mental health is of utmost importance. It is important to note that “some” stress is very manageable and, in fact, essential to our well-being. Physically, we can be affected by conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, just to name a few. Mentally, we can possibly be affected by depression and anxiety.
We are living in a society that has become very fast-paced, and major changes have developed around the values and standards we have as a society. We are carrying increased workloads; we are feeling like we have to compete to fit in. Finding the balance between work, personal life, and family life has become very difficult.
1. Physical Health Implications
The Body’s Stress Response
Our body is our alert system, warning us that what we are feeling is distressing. We can immediately go into fight, flight or freeze when we are feeling threatened by something or we perceive a threat that we cannot mentally manage. We are quick to try to keep safe, and we prepare to face the threat, escape it or hide from it. Fawn can be referred to as trying to appease the person in the situation who may be the potential threat.
Fight, flight, freeze, and sometimes fawn can cause rapid breathing, tense muscles, sweaty palms, and flushed skin.
Calming down can be done by breathing and focusing on all our senses in order to assist our physical body to relax and feel safe.
Panic attacks often can derive from threatening situations as well.
Long-term Health Risks
Chronic stress and our physical responses to it can lead to conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. Cortisol levels and stress hormones can disrupt our physical being.
The immune system and emotional stress are intertwined. Higher than normal levels of the hormone cortisol can interfere with the body’s anti-inflammatory response and cause continual infections. Our body’s way of telling us we are having a difficult time with emotional stress.
2. Emotional and Psychological Well-Being
Emotional Exhaustion
If our emotional stress is unmanaged, we can be overwhelmed and resort to unhealthy coping behaviours such as alcohol use, eating disorders, smoking, and substance misuse.
Emotional burn-out can have symptoms such as lack of energy, poor sleep and little to no motivation, making it difficult to overcome the exhaustion being felt by the burn-out.
Cognitive Impairments
When we are feeling the effects of stress, our memory is affected both short-term and long-term as the stress is making the learning process more difficult. Emotional stress can also affect our concentration. Poor concentration and memory are too worked up to be able to focus. It impairs our thinking ability and how we function.
3. Relationship and Social Impact
Strain on Personal Relationships
Relationships with friends, partners and family members can be affected by too much stress. When the individual shuts down and does not communicate or express their feelings, the other person feels that they are no longer connected. The communication is not clear, which can lead to relationship insecurity.
Workplace Dynamics
Professional relationships are affected by the individual’s irritability, lack of focus and isolation of oneself can occur.
4. Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction
Diminished Enjoyment
The stress levels keep one from activities and hobbies that were once enjoyed. The stress keeps one isolated and not having any desire to engage in those activities. Anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure) elevated cortisol levels can lead to emotional numbness.
Life Perspective
Chronic stress can lead to pessimism. Coping skills can be fewer due to life outlook. Life satisfaction can look bleak when feeling stressed.
5. The Risk of Mental Health Disorders
Anxiety and Depression
Too much stress can lead to chronic stress. What happens is that stress is very harmful on its own but can also contribute to depression and anxiety. Emotional stress can affect your ability to feel interested, lack of sleep, and it can affect your appetite. The ability to stay focused and concentrate is also compromised.
The body’s reaction to stress can lead to anxiety. Body aches, high blood pressure, loss of sleep, tension and worrying excessively are signs of oncoming anxiety. Other disorders, such as PTSD, OCD and panic disorders, can develop with chronic emotional stress.
When warning signs begin to appear, early intervention is key in seeking help from a medical professional and therapist before it becomes more difficult to manage. Monitoring your symptoms and recognizing them early on can have less impact on your work performance, family interactions and overall well-being.
Final Thoughts
We all know that a reasonable amount of stress is good for us. It can boost our moods, motivate us, and keep us focused.
Recognizing the emotional stress signs early on and seeking help from therapy is key. A successful recovery, which is based on balanced and managed stress levels, is very much an attainable and realistic goal.
Prioritizing yourself by seeking help through therapy is a sign of strength and not a sign of weakness! Invest in working on yourself to live a better and more authentic lifestyle. Authentic Self Therapy is here to help if you have any questions.
