Romo 2
Danielle Romo
January 14, 2020
The Negative Effects of Stress
Stress is a word that most people are very familiar with, but what is stress? Stress is a reaction the brain has to both positive and adverse events. Stress can be caused by numerous day-to-day pressures. Stress is a coping mechanism that helps us deal with life’s trials and triumphs. In fact, stress is not always a bad thing, but it can be if prolonged. Stress can play a huge role in your overall health. Ultimately, stress can affect a person’s mood, behavior, and body.
To begin with, one effect stress is on a person’s mood. The type of mood caused by stress depends on the situation at hand. The moods caused by stress can vary but, for the most part, are all negative. Stress can cause irritability and anger if a person is under pressure. Simple things like getting a promotion or not getting one can cause stress. Being under stress can decrease mental clarity, resulting in a lack of mental function and focus. Stress can affect the chemicals in your brain that in turn can lead to depression. In due course, stress can put someone in a bad mood which eventually is bound to affect their behavior. Another common mood related to stress is sadness. Sadness can consume a person and lead them to depression and other harmful thoughts. Prolonged stress can also affect the way a person responds to happy situations. A person that does not have prolonged stress reacts differently to a happy situation than a person experiencing prolonged stress. It takes more to make them happy.
In addition to effects on the mood, stress can also affect a person’s behavior. Without proper coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, a person may resort to drug or alcohol abuse. Many adults use alcohol as an outlet for stress. It is common to hear people say after a long stressful day they need a drink. Emotional eating is also behavior caused by stress. Some people tend to eat their feelings when upset. While overeating is most common undereating is also common in people that are under stress. These eating habits usual cause unhealthy weight loss and gain. When a person is under stress, some environments can be overwhelming, so they tend to withdraw socially. They don’t want to interact with others and lose the opportunity to vent which relieves stress. Stress can also lead to agitation. Most people that carry a lot of stress tend to be on edge and easily aggravated. They don’t handle situations appropriately and tend to over react unnecessarily.
Another effect, possibly the most important is the effect stress has on the body. The different types of chemicals released by the body in response to stress can have detrimental effects. The chemicals released can cause sleep issues. Most people that deal with stress suffer from insomnia. They have trouble relaxing and turning their minds off. Anxiety is another negative effect of stress. Stress causes tension that causes the body to be sore or fatigued. The same chemicals can cause other issues in the body like high blood pressure, heart problems, digestive problems, and alopecia. In fact, long-term stress has been known to cause so much havoc in the body people have had nervous breakdowns.
Although stress is a normal response, prolonged stress can have devastating effects on a person’s mood, behavior, and body. Stress can be a viscous cycle that leaves a person emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, a person must learn effective coping mechanisms to deal with stress. When coping mechanisms are ineffective, the alternatives are counseling and medication. Without proper stress management, it is likely that a person will have lifelong negative effects.
