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Stress is an inevitable part of life today. In small amounts, stress can actually be beneficial, because it motivates us to react in urgent situations and meet tight deadlines. However, when the stressful situation goes on, the side effects of stress can become quite detrimental to the body. This article will address how the stress reflex works and why too much stress can be a bad thing.
Flight or Fight Response aggrevation As Side Effect of Stress
The human body is equipped with what is known as a “flight or fight” response. This physiological mechanism releases chemicals and stress hormones to help the body cope with potentially dangerous or urgent situations. These substances raise the respiratory rate, fine tunes our senses and puts our entire bodies on a state of alert. It is easy to see why this reaction is crucial for an emergency. It also provides an indication of why side effects of stress over the long term can be damaging to our bodies.
“Flight or fight” takes our bodies into survival mode, where every fiber of the being is focused on making it through the crisis. Can you imagine living in that heightened state for days at a time? That is what the side effects of stress over the long haul can look like. The original design of the “flight or fight” response was to culminate in a physical reaction that either included fighting back or fleeing the scene. Once the critical moment had ended, the body was expected to return to a state of calm.
Where is the Calm?
Unfortunately, today’s lifestyle doesn’t make much time for that state of calm to kick in. instead, our heightened sense and survival mode take over, causing physical and emotional side effects of stress that are much harder to deal with. For some, the side effects of stress may include cognitive symptoms like an inability to concentrate, frustration over the smallest tasks and flaring tempers that seem to come on without provocation.
Others experience physiological effects of stress like chronic headaches and back pain, stomach upset and difficulty sleeping. Over the long term, these side effects of stress can wear down the immune system, leaving us vulnerable to frequent colds and more serious illness. Some people develop mental disorders like anxiety and depression that become difficult to treat. The side effects of stress vary in severity based on how deep and long the stress lasts and the personality type of the person experiencing it.
Effective stress management goes a long way in reducing the side effects of stress. A healthy diet, exercise and relaxation techniques can help our bodies come down from the “flight or fight” response and achieve a state of calm once again.
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