Did you know that the stress you feel daily could be doing more than just making you tense? Excessive stress can have significant, often unseen, consequences on your body. During this Stress Awareness Month, join the Hancock Health Connection Center as we uncover the hidden ways stress impacts your health and share valuable tips to take control.

Stress is a natural reaction to challenges and changes around you. When you experience certain stressors, your body kicks off physical and mental responses that can spur you into action. You may notice that your muscles start to tense, and you start to breathe heavily. Your heart may be beating harder and faster when you experience a stressful situation. Sometimes your body will release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which make you more alert and ready to move. These hormones can also raise your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar.

These reactions come in handy if, say, you encounter a grizzly bear in the wild. This “fight or flight” response can give you the added edge to remove yourself from a dangerous situation. Over time, though, chronic stress can begin to affect your body and your overall health.

The impact of stress often extends beyond emotional strain, manifesting in a range of physical symptoms. These can include persistent aches and pains, chest pressure, frequent headaches, overwhelming exhaustion, insomnia, and a compromised immune system. Furthermore, stress can contribute to heightened anxiety, depression, and even panic attacks. Behaviorally, individuals under significant stress may develop issues like substance misuse, overeating, or other compulsive behaviors.

Stress can be insidious as well. Most of us don’t experience grizzly bears, but sometimes we must deal with difficult job challenges, problems at home, or money concerns. Over time, chronic stress can cause problems with the immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system or reproductive system. 

Stress isn’t always a bad thing. It can motivate you to move and make necessary changes to handle the challenges of daily living. But chronic stress can lead to negative physical and mental health impacts, so it’s important to manage it effectively. Check out these tips for battling stress:

Attack the stressors. Hear us out. Not everyone is at a point where they can quit their stressful jobs and live the rest of their days at the beach. But some stressors can be addressed. Take a hard look at what’s bothering you and ask yourself what you can do about it. If you’re stressed because you have 100 chores waiting for you at home, try to conquer a handful of them today and enlist your family members to do their fair share as well. If finances are pushing your stress levels higher than your credit card debt, think about small changes that might lessen your burden. For example, you can stay in and have friends over for a pitch-in and a movie instead of spending money on a night out at a fancy club. 

Get moving. Remember that cortisol your brain releases when you’re in a stressful situation? If it remains elevated, you can experience side effects like weight gain, impaired immune function, or sleep disorders. Exercise tackles that cortisol and gives you a boost of endorphins, which are the feel-good transmitters in the brain. It can lower your resting heart rate and keep your body ready to handle whatever challenges it encounters.

Practice mindfulness. Today’s frantic lifestyles give people few opportunities to slow down and attend to their thoughts and feelings. But these mindful moments play an important role in combatting stress and recentering our minds. Take a few moments to focus on inhaling and exhaling, taking deep breaths and counting as you go. Pay attention to your surroundings, letting yourself lose yourself in the beauty of a spring blossom while you’re outdoors or the feeling of soap bubbles as you bathe your toddler or do the dishes. 

Watch your diet. Who hasn’t reached for a cookie during a stressful situation? That momentary sugar rush might feel good, but a healthy diet does a much better job of arming the body against the harmful effects of stress. A balanced diet can support your immune system and regulate cortisol levels.

Get enough sleep. Sleep gives your brain and body a chance to rest and recharge. When you don’t have enough sleep, you risk problems with memory, judgment, and mood. You may experience physical ailments like high blood pressure and obesity. Many people can address their sleep habits with simple changes like avoiding caffeine at night and turning off their screens well before bedtime. But if you’re still struggling, talk to your health care provider about sleep disorders and their treatments.   

Ask for help. You don’t have to conquer every challenge alone. If you find yourself struggling with stress – whether it’s chronic stress or acute stress caused by a certain situation – the Hancock Health Connection Center is here to help. We’re working to ensure that everyone can live a healthy, whole lifestyle. Our support navigators are familiar with the many local resources to address some of the most common stressors, and we’ll help you find a path that makes you feel good about life again. Call us at 317-468-4231 or stop by the Connection Center at 120 W. McKenzie Road, Suite G, in Greenfield during regular business hours.