Stress has a very important function — saving our lives in risky situations — however, it's not normal to feel stress constantly, since experiencing stress that regularly can be affecting our emotional and physical health in different ways without us realizing it.
Stress, like anxiety and fear, has positive aspects in our daily life, but experiencing stress constantly turns out to be harmful to our health. The goal here isn't to control stress, since trying to control what can't be controlled produces more stress — the ideal approach to this condition is to understand why it's being experienced.
Stress, like anxiety and fear, has positive aspects in our daily life, but experiencing stress constantly turns out to be harmful to our health. The goal here isn't to control stress, since trying to control what can't be controlled produces more stress — the ideal approach to this condition is to understand why it's being experienced.
Stress in our body
Now, after putting ourselves in a reflective mindset, it's also important to understand the consequences of stress on the body, since when it becomes chronic, the person starts to experience constant nervousness, excessive sweating, and a feeling of being on alert all the time.
On the physical level, ailments are no exception, as in this case there can be muscle pain, heart arrhythmias, digestive problems, and, in more common cases, hair loss, among others.
A person experiencing stress enters a state of struggle with themselves, with their self-esteem, with their fears and thoughts — a battle that can last minutes or hours.
To understand this better on a physiological level, there's a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for processing emotions; however, this amygdala activates when we face a stressful situation, and driven by the release of cortisol and adrenaline, it makes the body generate a burst of energy release to face the approaching threat.
That release can show up as uncontrollable sweating, a feeling of tightness in the chest, bodily stiffness, among many other responses that each body, regardless of race, sex, or age, expresses in different ways.
Stress and mental health
The brain itself tends to play tricks on us, and part of the origin of stress comes from ruminating on thoughts that get placed on top of any situation, turning something that has an empty meaning into something significant and momentous.
A study conducted by JAMA Network Open revealed among its participants that those with elevated stress levels — about 37% — had a higher risk of a consequence to cognition, meaning they were more prone to suffering some mental health issue, since stress causes a person to lose their ability to concentrate and other mental abilities that, in the long run, affect their quality of life.
The most common effects of stress on mental health are
- Worsening of diagnoses such as anxiety and depression and other pre-existing conditions.
- Insomnia, related to the person being unable to sleep during the early sleep phases, lower quality of rest, and the development of poor sleep habits.
- Reduced concentration: chronic stress reduces attention span and productivity in daily tasks, affecting your work or professional life
Who does it affect?
There's a moment in each person's life where the relationship between mental stress and physical stress converges to harm the same body, but who's more prone to this effect? Everyone who exercises excessively, who spends all their time working and staying up late, who spends their time partying, drinking, using psychoactive substances — anyone leaning into excess.
Those who've turned an emotion into something tangible, measurable, and lasting are exposed to the mental stress produced in the brain crossing paths with physical stress, and the effects begin to turn into ailments that keep evolving over time.
How to lessen the effects of stress
One way to address stress is through flower essences, a complementary therapy that never replaces medical treatment or advice, but is an alternative tool focused on emotional balance and mental health. Here we'll offer you some flower essences to help relieve stress:
- Rescue Remedy: This is a well-known product that contains a blend of several flower essences, such as Rock Rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem, and Cherry Plum. It's commonly used in situations of acute stress or emotional crisis.
- Mimulus: This flower essence is used to treat known, specific fears and anxieties. It helps people face situations that cause them stress, such as public speaking or flying.
- Aspen: Used to treat fear and anxiety of unknown or unexplainable origin. Useful for people who feel generalized anxiety or fear the unknown.
- Elm: Used when someone feels overwhelmed by responsibility and stress from an excessive workload. It helps restore confidence in one's ability to handle responsibilities.
- White Chestnut: This flower essence is recommended for those with repetitive thoughts and constant worries causing mental stress.
- Cherry Plum: Used to treat fear of losing control or having an emotional breakdown.
- Agrimony: This flower essence is useful for those who hide their worries and anxieties behind a cheerful facade.
Flower essences should be taken regularly over certain periods of time, whether weekly or monthly, in line with the treatment carried out with the flower therapist or health professional.
In conclusion, stress is an inevitable part of life, but its effects are harmful if it becomes chronic and no help is sought for treatment. Recognizing and accepting it will help lessen its effects and take action, such as using flower essences, alongside good eating, sleep, exercise, and meditation habits, to balance mind, body, and energy.
Learn more at www.siuesencias.com