How to know if stress is the reason you are sick | Lifestyle

Life and day-to-day routine envelop us and immerse us in a universe of responsibilities and daily chores that, a priori, become our particular daily battle. Some factors such as economic difficulties, moments of pressure at work or dealing with toxic relationships can cause us to face a period of negative stress that, without realizing it, worsens and lasts over time.

The Mental Health Foundation (MHFA) defines stress as our body’s response to pressure, a perceived threat or challenge. “When we feel that we have little control over a situation and we perceive distress, we can begin to experience the first psychophysical symptoms,†says Juvenal Arnelas, clinical psychologist and member of the expert committee at Mundopsicologos. Slight headaches, dizziness or gastrointestinal problems are some of the mild symptoms that appear during periods of stress.

However, getting sick is another matter. The American Psychological Association (APA), in a latest review in March 2023 on the effects of stress on the body, emphasizes that the human body is designed and well equipped to handle stress in small ways. The dose, but when it becomes prolonged over time, or chronic, it can have more serious effects. “This is like what came first: the physiological action or the mental one. The mental reaction usually occurs first, the cognitive process that triggers everything, and then the physiological response. And, yes, there is a relationship between illness and stressful symptoms, it is real,” says Juvenal Arnelas. Shoulder, neck or headache pain, among other small ailments, are the first signs. “First, we must go to the mental, we must ask ourselves the question: ‘Do I control this or do I not control it?’. Here we will have the level of stress that we suffer. The greater the control, the fewer symptoms; and the greater the lack of control or uncertainty, the greater the strength and physical reaction we will observe,” explains the expert.

As reflected in APA research, stress can also affect all body systems, targeting the person’s most vulnerable body parts, or exacerbating problems. existing health problems in both the respiratory and cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous or reproductive systems. “Stress hurts when you don’t control it, and we must learn to see it as part of the game in which we live. Relativizing is the key, for example, we can get stressed about not making ends meet, we can become overwhelmed, and begin a process of physiological reactions, which cause us even more pain,” adds Juvenal Arnelas.

What happens if we don’t control stress?

If we do not manage to control stress, could we enter an uncontrolled spiral and become ill? The answer is yes. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), between 60% and 80% of primary care visits may have a stress-related component. “Chronic stress can lower immunity and cause more frequent illnesses for several reasons. When our body is under stress, it releases cortisol. “Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause inflammation when it is released too regularly in the body,” says Julia Kogan, a psychologist who is an expert in chronic stress, sleep, and psychological behaviors that interfere with health. “This inflammatory response can be useful in fighting germs and illnesses in the short term. But when we are constantly stressed we can create problems in our immune system and worsen chronic diseases,†she details. Additionally, “white blood cells (lymphocytes) that help fight infections also decrease when we experience chronic stress. This makes us more likely to suffer from colds, flu and other infections,†he adds. Stress can also affect sleep and worsen existing medical conditions. And then there are all the ways we try to cope (with food, alcohol or other unhealthy habits), which can make us more likely to get sick in the long term.

Thus, the real key to combating stress is determining the root cause. “Being aware that everything is not controllable, that everything is not gridded, that there is a relative control of things, where one may be able to see it or not be able to analyze it, we must promote the fact that if there is something that you do not control, the world does not end, we must better relativize the final result. “This way we can truly control the most emotional part, the most painful part of stress, the imperfect part, the punishing part, and the part that makes us sick,” says Juvenal Arnelas.

How to handle stressful situations

If one is not consciously able to address stress, there are formulas and tools that help prevent and manage it.

Breathing, for example, is a tool as simple as it is powerful that can be used to address stress, as well as meditation techniques or meditation in movement from dancing, yoga, walking… All of this is a way to release tension. According to the scientific and medical researcher Nazaret Castellanos, meditation shapes the relationship of the brain with the rest of the body. “The brain must relate to the rest of the organs. The mind no longer depends only on the brain, but on the entire body, and every day studies are published showing that the brain and the body communicate,” he says.

Another tactic to deal with stress is to accept and adjust emotions. “Can we do something more about situations that we do not control? If not, let’s accept it without putting our health at risk, since without health, money or anything counts, says Juvenal Ornerlas.