Increased nervousness, aggression and apathy are the most common symptoms of prolonged stress. A prolonged load on the psyche leads to the following consequences: the physiology, the moral state of a person, and his social relations suffer.
Apathy is one of the manifestations of prolonged stress
The consequences of stress depend on the stress resistance of the individual, on the occupation and status of the person. Long-term and short-term stress can change the behavior and character of a man, woman, teenager or child.
stressful state
The consequences of this state are manifested after a long load on nervous system. The central nervous system functions in two processes - relaxation and a state of excitation. Violation of one process entails a number of symptoms: irritability, headaches, insomnia, absent-mindedness and aggression. The consequences of severe stress - chronic behavioral changes, are treated with tranquilizers, sedatives and deep psychoanalysis.
What causes stress? Reaction human body unpredictable. The symptomatology of the consequences depends on the person's life, his environment and the factors that trigger stress. What is dangerous stress:
- irreversible changes in the personality of the victim;
- pathologies of internal organs;
- development mental disorders;
- violation of adaptation;
- destruction of the relationship between the stressed person and his environment.
Stress and its consequences depend on the frequency of stressors (events, people, memories that frighten a person). Fear is normal. Short-term emotional protection creates minimal harm to the body.
Constant stress is dangerous for mental and physiological health: the more often a person is in fear, the harder it is to get rid of the root cause of stress.
Causes of stress
Negative emotions arise against the background of difficult life situations. The causes of a difficult moral situation can be hereditary factors, hormonal changes in the body, physical changes, psycho-emotional stress, disruption of the daily routine, problems in relationships.
Avoid causes of stress modern world it will not be possible, but to develop stress tolerance is within the power of each person.
The protective reactions of the body can be regulated with the help of breathing exercises, sports, yoga or other activities that require concentration and strength.
Response to stress
The response to stress is the consequences that you have to deal with. Frequent panic attacks or insomnia create prerequisites for the development of a mental disorder. The frequency of human diseases directly depends on the frequency of manifestation of reactions to stress. A weakened body cannot resist even the slightest threat: infectious or viral diseases. Symptoms of stress:
- cardiopalmus;
- headaches;
- confusion;
- memory loss;
- increased sweating;
- pain in the chest and heart;
- cramps in the abdomen;
- chills;
- speech disorder.
Headache is one of the symptoms of nervous tension.
Smells, sounds, memories, or hallucinations of the traumatic event can lead to the development of symptoms. The "irritant" ended, but the signs of fear remained.
The experienced negative experience makes the psyche defend itself: a person falls into forced apathy, escapes (the brain partially blocks memories or distorts the perception of reality). Psychoanalysis and a set of exercises help to get rid of the effects of stress.
Health effects of stress
Stress and its consequences are dependent concepts: severe trauma takes longer. Stress disrupts the rhythm of life. It is difficult for the patient to navigate what is happening, to recover from severe stress without a feeling of devastation. Suffer from mental stress and the internal organs of the victim: the cardiovascular system, stomach and intestines, endocrine system.
The human body weakens, and irritability gradually turns into apathy. People with stress from work or problems in their personal lives develop indifference to loved ones and the world around them. Due to constant stress, sleep is disturbed: the brain does not relax, confusion appears, the sharpness of reactions weakens.
Psychosomatic diseases
The psychosomatic consequences of a strong stressful state are manifested against the background of a weakened immune system. Reduced activity and lack of appetite deplete the body: reduced immunity cannot resist diseases. Consequences of severe emotional stress:
- stroke;
- ulcers of the stomach and intestines;
- chronic insomnia;
- decreased concentration;
- migraine;
- depression;
- sexual dysfunction;
- asthma;
- atherosclerosis.
The resulting pathologies depend on the state of the human body before the stress experienced. Increased anxiety, aggression and neuroses are accompanied by inflammation of chronic diseases. Eczema and dermatitis appear in people who cannot cope with disturbing thoughts.
Dangerous stress mental illness such as split personality, penetrating trauma syndrome. For sick people, reality changes, adapts to their fears.
Child survivors of domestic violence suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder: The child exhibits symptoms of a contrived illness. Over time, this syndrome develops into severe chronic diseases. Stress reduces professional activity. During home treatment and taking sedatives, the conductivity of brain neurons decreases. Memory is impaired, work capacity is reduced, concentration is lost.
Asthma may be psychosomatic
Chronic fatigue and chronic stress
In psychology, there are three types of human behavioral responses to stress. The first reaction is conditionally called "foot on the gas" - a person is angry and constantly agitated. Under the pressure of circumstances, he literally boils, only negative emotions are born in him. The second state - "foot on the brake" - is characterized by isolation and removal of the victim from outside world. He closes himself, hiding behind a mask of indifference. The last and most dangerous reaction to stress is "feet on both pedals." A person is tense and constrained, it is difficult for him to step back, but he is not able to throw out emotions.
Chronic stress occurs against the background of any reaction of the body: the decisive factor is the duration of the symptoms of a serious condition. The body is exhausted by violent emotions and attempts to escape consciousness. Prolonged stress leads to complete emotional burnout.
Some people become lethargic under stress
Burnout symptoms
The consequences of emotional instability, burnout, are accompanied by special symptoms. The signs of emotional burnout are divided into 3 groups:
- Cognitive. The victim has memory problems. He only focuses on negative situations. Constant anxious thoughts accompany emotional burnout. Changing the victim's mindset is the hardest task. Anxiety does not go away during the day, and at night anxiety results in nightmares. The person feels tired, insensible, lethargic.
- Emotional. The consequences of burnout are expressed in the acquired character traits of the victim: he is capricious, demanding, quick-tempered for any reason. A person suffering from stress is overcome by feelings of loneliness and isolation. Depression and discouragement are the main symptoms of burnout.
- Behavioral. The behavioral consequences of burnout are more common in adolescents and children. The victim is malnourished or overeating, hiding from other people, he is tormented by insomnia. The victim of stress cannot and does not want to perform the assigned tasks.
The consequences of burnout are manifested in one or more symptoms. Loss of control over their emotions by expressive people occurs with increased aggression: a person destroys himself, the environment, relationships.
In women, burnout is expressed by frigidity, sexual coldness. In men, burnout can manifest as sexual dysfunction.
Chest pain and tachycardia are two symptoms of chronic stress. Fatigue against the background of aggression or inactivity characterize chronic stress. How advanced the disease can only be determined by a specialist. It is very difficult to get rid of a problem of a protracted nature without the help of a specialist.
Destruction of relationships
Stress itself cannot lead to antisocial behavior of the victim; the consequences of a stressful state are responsible for the destruction of relationships in the family and at work. Psycho-emotional adjustments affect the perception of the world and the people around. A person in a state of constant stress is not able to objectively assess the situation. Conflict is a consequence of chronic stress: an aggressive attitude turns into a constant response. Irritability leads to a narrowing of the social circle. If a person is morally ill, he splashes out negativity on relatives, friends or colleagues.
Suffer from the effects of stress and intra-family relationships. Communication between spouses is disrupted. Hot temper and suspiciousness disturb the harmony in the family: a person tries to relieve tension by splashing out negative emotions. In intimate terms, the victim is cold and uninitiated. Absence sexual life affects the relationship of spouses.
Prolonged stress is dangerous for working relationships. Conflict and irascibility leads to confrontation in the workplace, to dismissal and loss of a stable income. People with an apathetic state due to a depressive state have no zeal for work - the employee receives constant criticism from colleagues and superiors, which aggravates his condition. The body launches additional defense mechanisms: the employee quits, falls into even greater depression, loses the meaning of life.
Intra-family relationships are severely affected by stress
Dealing with the effects of chronic stress
Complex exercises will help get rid of severe nervous tension: a person undergoes emotional therapy and performs physical exercise. Complex events lead a person to inner harmony. For the treatment of chronic stress use:
- Yoga. Yoga classes allow you to concentrate, focus your thoughts and let go of anxiety. Daily yoga practice has a beneficial effect on the physical condition of the body.
- Breathing exercises. Breathing techniques can be used at home, at work and even in public transport. Holding your breath and calm breathing will provide oxygen to the brain. Through breathing, the tense body relaxes, and internal processes normalize.
- Relaxation techniques. Massage and acupuncture will improve the functioning of the digestive system, blood circulation and muscle tone. Relieving stress will help you get rid of the effects of work stress.
- Lifestyle organization. Normalization of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle change thinking. If a person takes care of himself, his stress level decreases.
To deal with stress, it is not necessary to attend paid classes.
A person who has experienced emotional burnout can do home exercises. morning run and balanced diet establish internal metabolic processes.
To improve morale, quiet activities are useful: reading, knitting, art therapy. The concentration of forces and attention on one process favorably affects people with disturbing thoughts.
Conclusion
The human body is a complete system. Violations in the work of the central nervous system entail changes in the behavior and perception of the surrounding world. And these are the first strong effects of stress. The causes of stress can be troubles at work or in family life, abrupt changes in living conditions or traumatic events.
A long period of nervous overstrain manifests itself in the following consequences: a person withdraws into himself, constantly gets sick, fences himself off from loved ones. To eliminate the effects of stress, a person is looking for the root cause of severe mental and physical condition, eliminates stressors and creates comfortable conditions for a gradual exit from severe stress.
Stress is the body's reaction to a possible danger. Adrenaline and cortisol increase alertness, increase heart rate, and increase blood flow to the muscles. In an ideal world, the body reacts to danger and then returns to a calm state. But when stress becomes chronic, serious health problems appear.
Sleep is disturbed
Leading Psychiatrists medical universities Chicago and Pittsburgh spent the next nine years observing middle-aged women in a state of stress of varying severity. Women with high levels of stress complained of intermittent shallow sleep, and in most cases suffered from insomnia. National Institute US Health: Chronic sleep problems can negatively impact heart function, memory, diabetes, and weight gain.
Constantly want to eat
In a state of stress, food is perceived as a comfort. The production of the satiety hormone leptin and the hunger hormone ghrelin is disrupted, so overeating most often becomes side effect. According to Boston's leading nutritionists, nervous tension and poor sleep predetermine food choices: low protein, high fat, lack of vegetables and fruits, frequent high-calorie snacks in the evening and at night. All this inevitably leads to weight gain.
Skin problems develop
The skin can also be affected by stress. Scientists from the University of California conducted and revealed the relationship between emotional health and skin condition. Stress can cause acne, psoriasis, eczema, or make the symptoms of these diseases more obvious. The more severe the degree of the disorder, the more acutely the form of the skin disease is expressed, and on this basis psychological problems may appear: decreased self-esteem, depression or social phobia. Doctors at the Oxford University Hospital that stress also significantly slows down the healing process.
Heart disease occurs
Due to stressful situations, adrenaline levels increase. As a result, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases. A person may feel a sharp pain in the chest, have difficulty breathing - these symptoms are related to broken heart syndrome. It is similar to a heart attack, but is less life-threatening. Until now, scientists have not found a direct link between chronic stress and the occurrence of heart disease. However, the leading American recommend to stop smoking and drinking alcohol. These habits do not help to cope with anxiety, but only increase the risk of possible complications. Doctors advise to make a choice in favor of proper nutrition and regular exercise and yoga.
Increased risk of catching a cold
Surely you have noticed that nervous periods of life are often accompanied by a cold. Specialists at the University of Maryland Medical Center, this phenomenon is as follows: a regular excess of cortisol weakens immune system, which makes it difficult for the body to fight viruses. At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, healthy people who complained of different level stress, infected with rhinoviruses. Volunteers, whose nervous state was more severe, really got sick, in contrast to people with a low degree of stress.
Depression sets in
Harvard Medical School has published a report that concludes: Stress inhibits the growth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. According to studies, in people prone to depression, this part of the brain is 9-13% smaller. This directly affects the state of depression. The National Institutes of Health in the United States believes that depression occurs for completely different reasons, but stress is one of the risk factors.
Digestive problems appear
Many people are familiar with the feeling of nausea before important event- stress affects the functioning of organs gastrointestinal tract and manifest itself in different ways. Specialists at the University of Maryland Medical Center
Stress is the body's response to various adverse factors. In a small amount, it can even be useful, as it stimulates the body to find solutions from uncharacteristic situations. But with a strong and prolonged effect of stress on the body, many disorders occur. In order to get rid of this negative state, it is necessary to understand the cause of its occurrence.
Causes
Anything can cause a stressful state, any situation that has a strong impact on a person. When a person tries to get rid of everyday stimuli and keeps a lot in himself, subsequently any little thing can cause severe stress. Even the loss of a loved one can feel tragic and upsetting. Such irritants have a strong impact on the emotional background: the death of loved ones, divorce, scandals in the family or at work.
Irritants are divided into three types:
- mental stimuli (influence of negative or positive emotions);
- chemical irritants (the influence of toxic substances);
- biological stimuli (the effect on the body of overloads, injuries, various diseases).
Severe stress can appear in both adults and children. Usually in children it is less protracted. Except in families where children are under a lot of pressure and suffer from constant quarrels.
Treating stress in women and men is equally difficult. It is important to identify the development of a stressful condition at an early stage, then you will not have to deal with the treatment of the consequences.
Symptoms of severe stress
Sleep disorders
The appearance of insomnia or drowsiness indicates the development of disorders in the body. A person who is tired after a hard day cannot fall asleep for a long time, and sleeps very sensitively. Or vice versa, sleeps more than usual and feels sleepy throughout the day. These manifestations can be both a sign and a cause of the disorder.
Malaise
A person suffering from mental disorders also suffers from the physical manifestations of the disease. Stress is often accompanied by the following symptoms: dizziness, nausea, indigestion, tachycardia, frequent colds.
Appetite disorders and habit changes
Under stress, a person may lose appetite or, on the contrary, increase. Abuse of sweets or other unhealthy foods may also be observed. A sharp transition to the use of atypical foods is also a sign of a stressful state. Switching to a separate diet will help solve stomach problems, but it will not get rid of the source of the problem.
Trying to hide and run away from the problem
A person suffering from stress tends to hide from the problem. He avoids people, may not leave the apartment for a long time, sleep a lot, etc. Quite often, people try to escape from a problem with alcohol or drugs. As a result, it leads to self-destruction.
Symptoms in women
Most women perceive everything too emotionally. For this reason, they are more susceptible to negative factors. The slightest negativity can lead to the development of stress. When stressed, women often suffer from headaches, menstrual hormonal disorders. The disorder makes the woman feel helpless. Getting rid of this feeling alone is quite difficult. In times like these, you can’t do without the help of loved ones.
How to survive stress? To overcome stress, you need to give yourself more time. For example, you can go to a beauty salon or go to nature. Such a pleasant vacation will help you tune in to positive and accept the help of loved ones.
Postpartum depression is the most dangerous for women. After all, the child feels all the negative emotions of the mother, and they can adversely affect the health of the baby. The main manifestations of postpartum stress are: suspension of milk production, sleep disorders, eating disorders. Only a woman who has given birth is too worried, afraid to do something wrong and considers herself a bad mother, feels guilty, which leads to depression.
Symptoms in men
If women can still admit their weaknesses, then men keep everything in themselves to the last. Thus causing significant harm to health. Characteristic signs of a depressive state in men: irritability, the emergence or intensification of bad habits, sexual disorders.
Being under stress, a man tries to get rid of this condition by self-affirmation, thereby causing pain to his loved ones. In such difficult period A man needs a woman's support more than ever.
The effects of severe stress
With a strong stress state in the body, malfunctions begin in the body and the following consequences may occur:
- decreased immunity;
- increase in pressure;
- increased risk of stroke and heart attack;
- development of infertility;
- depression and neurosis.
Also, many diseases are aggravated after facing stressful situations. For example, eczema, autoimmune disorders, heart problems.
What to do
How to deal with stress? Many people, thinking about how to relieve severe stress, resort to drinking alcohol. However, it is worth knowing that alcohol will never help solve problems. Drinking alcohol only temporarily calms, the next day the anxiety will return, intensifying. Therefore, if in thought about how to survive stress, you thought about an alcoholic drink, put it aside. It is also better to refuse coffee and strong tea. They should be replaced with herbal preparations.
With severe stress, you need to eat foods containing magnesium and B vitamins. These substances have a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
To normalize sleep and general tone, regular physical exercise. Best practice on fresh air a few hours before bed.
Medical treatment
Most safe means for the body are herbal preparations. Common depressant based on herbs - valerian. It is allowed to use for the treatment of children, the remedy is not addictive. But it is effective only in cases where a person is able to cope with his experiences. This sedative can be used for short-term depression, with severe stress, its use will not be effective.
To reduce irritability and calm down a little, you can take drugs that have a concomitant sedative effect. They increase concentration and mental activity. The most common is glycine.
The lack of vitamins in the body can increase the manifestation of stress. In mild cases, taking the right combination of vitamins will help. Such a complex contains large doses of vitamins that are necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system.
To combat stress, as an aid, you can use homeopathic remedies and biologically. active additives that have a calming effect. Many of them contain in their composition tonic or soothing plants.
Most effective means for the treatment of severe stress are anxiolytics. A common selective agent is Afobazol. This tool can not only eliminate symptomatic manifestations, but also restore and normalize the functioning of the nervous system. It is not addictive, has almost no restrictions on the use and side effects.
If all of the above methods are ineffective, it is necessary to use antidepressants. These funds are sold only by prescription, their intake is strictly controlled by a doctor.
The effect of taking antidepressants does not appear immediately, but after a while. In some cases, the effect may appear after a few weeks, and in some it may not help at all. Then you need to select another tool.
Stress has a negative impact on the entire life of a modern person, affecting his psychological and physical health. The consequences of stress include disturbances in the functioning of vital organs, reduce the body's natural defenses. It is necessary to understand the mechanism of the impact of stress and the possibility of avoiding harmful effects.
The whole human body suffers from stress, especially the consequences of a nervous shock affect the general state of health. Moreover, the negative impact does not end with the end of exposure to stressors, but only begins.
The symptoms of stress are very vague; it is often not possible to associate symptoms with exposure to prolonged or strong short-term stress. With individual signs, a person turns to narrow specialists who are trying to cure the consequence without eliminating the cause of the diseases received.
The effects of severe stress can be expressed in the following signs:
- increased pressure, heart failure;
- headache, dizziness;
- disruption of the immune system;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- state change skin, hair, nails;
The consequences of stress in women include sexual dysfunction, reluctance to intimacy, pain during intercourse, itching and burning, symptoms of thrush. In some cases, there may be problems with menstrual cycle. All these signs point to the trauma that the tragedy has inflicted. Can help complex treatment based on psychotherapy.
List of possible diseases
Severe stress can cause unpredictable consequences. The blow is delivered on a physical and emotional level.
Implications for mental health
From the side of the nervous system, there are violations of the following nature:
- increased anxiety;
- irritability;
- neuroses;
- emotional instability;
- intolerance;
- overexcitation;
- hypochondria;
- prostration;
- depression;
- fast fatiguability;
- insomnia;
- memory impairment.
A person experiences inexplicable, often uncontrollable attacks of aggression, mood swings, loses interest in the usual things that previously pleased him.
Implications for physical health
The effect on a person of constant voltage is as follows.
- An increase in blood glucose levels. It is necessary for the body to receive energy. But with constant stress, the sugar level rises constantly, stress leads to disruption of the internal organs, in particular the pancreas, it ceases to cope with its functions, which leads to the development of diabetes.
- The thymus gland, which also suffers from stress, is responsible for the production of leukocytes. With a decrease in immunity, this organ contracts uncontrollably, which leads to a violation of the formation of leukocytes. This further reduces the body's defenses.
- With the release of adrenaline, the capillaries expand, and with strong nervous tension, they burst. This causes the formation of hematomas, stagnation of blood. The surface of the skin becomes unnaturally pale with a bluish tint. The blood supply to the organs is also impaired.
- Involuntary muscle tension leads to tissue destruction at the cellular level. Regular alternation of tension and relaxation negatively affects the work of internal organs. Glucosteroids accumulated in muscle tissues contribute to the breakdown of proteins and nucleic acids, which leads to dystrophy.
- Cells suffer from metabolic disorders, toxins accumulate in them, which provoke intoxication of the body. It is difficult to extract them naturally. Cell growth is disrupted, the skin becomes thinner, easily damaged, wounds heal for a long time. Bones also suffer due to a lack of calcium, their fragility increases, osteoporosis develops.
Against the background of constant emotional stress, fertile ground appears for the development of oncological diseases. Stress provokes problems from the gastrointestinal tract, causes stomach ulcers. This main factor risk, stimulating diseases of the heart and blood vessels, heart attacks, strokes, hypertension and angina pectoris.
The complexity of the situation lies in the fact that modern man leads an inactive lifestyle. Biologically active substances long time are stored in the body in an increased concentration, which does not allow the nerves and the body to calm down due to a lack of muscle activity.
Destructive reactions are caused not only by long-term, but also by short-term stress. It has been proven that a one-time strong shock has a negative impact for a long period after the impact. At the same time, the consequences of stress are irreversible, in some cases the destruction of brain cells occurs.
How to avoid negative consequences
With a situation of strong emotional stress, you should learn to cope on your own. The main rule is not to “hide” from stress, not to pretend that nothing is happening, but to apply certain practices that will allow you to cope with it. This ability will help in many difficult situations to maintain health and emerge victorious.
After stress, it is imperative to release tension, give vent to emotions, not keep everything in yourself. Effectively get out into nature and take out everything that has accumulated inside.
For instance. To do this, collect all the negativity and shout with all your might. Sometimes one such walk is enough to achieve relief.
Great for relieving stress. The emotional state directly depends on breathing, there are many practice options. Sometimes it is enough to take a few deep breaths, hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale slowly. This simple exercise goes well with relaxation.
Good and effective method deal with the negative effects of stress physical activity. At the same time, it is not necessary to run to the gym, it is enough to take a short walk or do monotonous work: wash the floors, dishes, and process flowers. Caring for houseplants is wonderfully soothing.
Perfectly relieve nervous tension doing what you love - knitting, embroidery, dancing, drawing, singing. Anti-stress therapy is impossible without the power of art. Switching attention to pleasant things reduces the impact of stress. The main thing is not to dive into yourself, not to be left alone with the problem.
If you can't avoid it on your own negative consequences stress, you should consult a psychologist. But during treatment, in any case, it is necessary to take care of yourself, perform simple physical exercises, maintain healthy eating, to refuse from bad habits. All this in a complex will allow you to survive difficult times without strong negative consequences for health.
A little nervous excitement has a beneficial effect on a person. But severe stress triggers the mechanism of destruction, in which all body systems suffer, immunity decreases, and the emotional background fades.
From the strongest impact on a person, the protective abilities of the body are aggravated. It is their inclusion that provokes a stressful state. In psychology, there is a special scale of stress, which contains standard traumatic conditions. In the first place is the death of relatives and friends. In last place - promotion at work, wedding. Positive emotions can also make you worry.
Causes of nervous stress
Understanding the causes makes it possible to quickly figure out how to deal with stress. Strong psychological stress arises from parting with relatives, for example, as a result of death. This situation has a quick, severe effect on the human nervous system.
Causes stressful situation are: external, internal.
Any experience can cause stress to the body. External reasons include a change in the usual environment, flight by plane, moving to a permanent place of residence in another country, leaving the usual place of work.