How do tension and stress affect the body?

Tension and stress develop from a number of sources from home to the office and today’s specialty; social media. The tension between colleagues over a shared project and stress easily build with a micromanaging boss on your neck. A parent with a sick child cannot concentrate at the office. They are worried and stressed. The hospital bills are an additional stress provider on top of school loans, utility bills and you have not even thought about your daily needs. Even without a sick relative, the cost of living has become so high you can afford to only take care of yourself and buy groceries for the week. Adding dependents to your list is asking for trouble.

However, what do you do when you have no choice. As a lone breadwinner or the family’s success, it's inevitable to want and need to help out around the home. Although the financial crisis is a major contribution to tension and stress, relationships can be the worst source of stress. Unstable relationships, fake friendships, and poor working relationships also make migraines a constant problem. Stress has always been bad for the body and it shows in different ways.

Weight Loss

For some people, stress becomes evident when they start tightening the belt, literally. They lose weight from the fact that they have lost their appetite. Some people avoid eating when they are stressed. They have no appetite for food or any social activities. They remain stuck in their heads thinking about their problems day and night. This means that they don’t get a break from whatever is plaguing them.

Hair Loss

Hair loss is another side effect of severe stress. It does not happen to everyone but it may be a result of stress being experienced. As individuals are different, one may not lose weight and instead loose hair, or lose both.

Anger

Being stressed and being in a constant high-tension environment makes someone feel frustrated and over time they have pent up feelings of anger. Bottled feelings occur when the individual tries to avoid a situation, instead of addressing the issue causing them anxiety. This results in a short-tempered person. They are easily put in a bad mood because of the stress they are experiencing and when they experience some difficulty they get defensive. They also appear to be moody all the time.

Depression

Too much stress and without a proper outlet like therapy or an activity to channel it like exercise can lead to depression. Also, when we continue to indulge in the source of our stress like a bad job or engaging in a stressful relationship, it does not help us to deal with the stress we are experiencing. It instead helps to talk to someone to help assess your situation, or simply share how you are feeling. It helps to unload a burden and share it with a trusted friend or family member. It makes it easier to bare and the feeling of being alone in a hard situation diminishes.

Heart risk

For people diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is already unhealthy to harbor stress because it spikes their blood pressure. However, a consistent and ongoing stressful activity puts the individual at risk of elevated stress hormones which can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. For sickly individuals, it is especially important to avoid stress because a stroke or heart attack can cause irreparable damage to recover from.

Headaches and Migraines

This is another symptom of high stress and tension. The feeling of a migraine coming on is frequent for people who are often involved in high-stress activities. It becomes obvious even when they are experiencing headaches from stress instead of illness. For others who are particularly sensitive, vomiting and diarrhea are another symptoms of stress. The feeling of nausea or dizziness is not uncommon when you feel particularly stressed.