Is chronic stress ruining your wellness? Learn about the potential causes and treatments

Modern ways of everyday living are contributing to significant amounts of chronic stress. While not all forms of stress are bad, chronic stress, which slowly turns intense and feels overwhelming, can slowly creep into a more pervasive form, impacting your everyday life.

This level of stress has a devastating impact on a person's mental and physical health. It can also affect multiple aspects of a person's life. To deal with stress effectively, it's important to get a better understanding of the causes, symptoms, and treatment options. The better we know them, the better our outlook on life will be.

Chronic stress has become so common that we think its okay to experience it. (Image via pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

---

Identifying chronic stress causes

Stress can be insidious. (Image via Unsplash/ Gift Habeshaw)

Chronic stress doesn’t simply develop due to major life scenarios; it may also be a result of ongoing circumstances that feel completely uncontrollable. Usual causes are related to the daily pressures related to financial struggles, careers, relationships, or grappling with a chronic ailment. Our body’s stress response gets triggered repeatedly and leads to a heightened state of hyperawareness.

---

Chronic stress symptoms that you can spot in your everyday life

Stress can affect all our major areas of our lives. (Image via Unsplash/ Jeshoots)

Timely recognition helps us identify the physical effects of stress. On the physical level, chronic stress can present itself as headaches, fatigue, muscle tension, and sleep issues. Mentally as well as emotionally, it may instill a strong sense of irritation, anxiety, and attention issues. It's also important to know that prolonged stress weakens the immune system, making people more susceptible to getting sick frequently.

Stress takes a toll on our bodies, affecting our hormones, inflammation levels, and even our gene expression. The consequences of chronic stress go deeper than just feelings of discomfort. As time passes, it can impact the overall health of a person profoundly.

Research links chronic stress to a higher risk of cardiovascular conditions, digestive problems, weight gain, depressive symptoms, and other mental health problems. It may also aggravate pre-existing health issues, which makes it more challenging to deal with. Unfortunately, in many ways, stress can put your life at risk.

---

Chronic stress treatment that you can opt for

Managing stress can sometimes be as easy as taking a walk. (Image via Unsplash/ Engin Akyurt)

As the stress you are experiencing is chronic and pervasive, it takes time to manage it. The first step in treatment is to manage your expectations about recovery. The process does become simpler when you work with a mental health professional, but even with therapy, stress can't go away overnight.

A very common contributor to stress is fixing your expectations of how the day, experience, or event will go. For instance, you want your day to go great without any difficulties. If you do encounter any problems, you are likely to feel frustrated and agitated.

Healthy coping strategies play a key role in managing stress. Whether it is incorporating regular workouts and exercise or eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet, it starts with small steps. These tips and suggestions often sound redundant, but when incorporated consistently, they can add to your resilience.

---

Stress often creeps up on you and hits you with a bang. It can stem from years of pushing through, mentally and physically, because we often feel we have to support family, be the ‘yes’ person, and couldn’t let anyone down. Your body might eventually stop and alert you.

As a consequence, you may not be able to work properly, feel that you don't have energy, and not be able to do anything physically or mentally. Reflection is crucial for moving forward and caring for yourself. Listen to your body. Self-love and self-care are the keys to recovering from chronic stress.

---

Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

---

What do you think of this story? Tell us in the comments section below.