Physical Symptoms of Stress

Not all stress is bad. Your body was meant to handle stress and there are certain stressors that can be beneficial. Stress is defined as a body’s reaction to physiological change. As you can imagine, there are some valuable physiological changes to your body, such as dietary changes, a healthy lifestyle, and exercise routine.

Your body was meant to handle stress and keep you motivated in a fight or flight situation. Too much stress, such as psychological stress can be detrimental. Continual stress on your body can lead to negative distress. See below for some of the ways your body can change due to reactions from negative distress.

Reactions to Negative Distress

• Depression
• Poor food and drink choices
• Lack of sleep
• Headaches
• Tension in muscles
• GI symptoms
• Susceptibility to infections and colds
• Anxiety
• Nervousness
• Low energy levels
• Irritability
• Concentration problems

Just looking at the list can make you feel disheartened. Especially if you reflect and realize you have a lot of physiological stress in your life. 

Remember that in less than 30 seconds you can boost your mood by smiling. Smiling can trick your brain into happiness and release more dopamine which will have many positive effects on your body. 

Taking care of yourself to avoid negative distress is important. In the next article, stay tuned for ways to identify the stress in your life and how to manage it.