Chronic Stress: How to Deal

When a person is constantly faced by possibility of losing his job in these hard economic times, he can’t help but feel anxious with his job security. In the chance that he may ultimately lose his job, depression ensues, which can also lead to other emotional problems. These scenarios mentioned can all lead to chronic stress.

Feelings of stress not resolved after long periods of time can lead to the body’s loss of the ability to combat disease, can change the body’s normal metabolic and hormonal functions, and can alter the neurochemistry of the pain in ways – all these can lead to detrimental health problems. Some people are more at risk to stress than others, either because of heredity, temperament, or job pressures.

Chronic stress is often linked to the ongoing emotional and mental effects of trauma, like witnessing a violent crime or even being a victim, being involved in a vehicular accident, or experiencing a violent military incident, if left untreated, can weaken a person emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Chronic Stress Burnout: Find Ways of Coping with Stress

Stress usually has its origins in the body’s evolved methods of dealing with danger. If a person was walking through the woods and saw a wild animal, his body would prepare him to either run away or defend himself; this is the epitome of the “fight or flight” situation. The issue with chronic stress is that unlike normal stress responses that disappear when the danger is past, our body just continues to stay on “red alert,” even though there may be no real threat present. Over time, our body’s constant state of readiness starts to deteriorate. We lose our ability to relax properly or digest our food properly or even relax. In fact, depression is sometimes the body’s attempt to hit the “reset” switch: to get things to slow down and prevent the system from running itself into a brick wall.

Effectively Treating Chronic Stress

If you think you have the symptoms of chronic stress, you should talk to your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe medications that can help to return your neurochemistry to normal, or you may also need to check other ways of coping with stress effectively.
You should also consider psychological counseling like talk therapy; this can help you better understand the sources of your chronic stress and find ways of coping with stress more consciously and proactively. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are also vital aspects of beating chronic stress.

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