While small doses of stress may motivate you under pressure or provide you with the adrenaline to get through a challenging time, chronic stress adversely affects all dimensions of your health. Chronic stress exhibits similar symptoms to other mental health conditions: contacting your doctor and undergoing evaluation of your situation helps best establish the underlying causes of your symptoms.
Physical Symptoms
Your body responds to stress with the “fight or flight response,” and releases different chemicals and hormones to counter perceived or actual threats. During this heightened state of alertness, your body releases the hormone cortisol, causing an increase in your heart rate and the amount of glucose in your blood, which the body breaks down for extra energy. Cortisol suppresses the immune system, rendering your more susceptible to colds and illness if you experience chronic stress. Your body releases adrenaline, or epinephrine, a hormone that increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Physically, chronic stress may contribute to feeling of fatigue and body aches. Chronic stress means that you are in a constant “flight or fight response,” which causes muscular constriction and contributing to feelings of tension, aches and pains throughout your body.
Cognitive Symptoms
According to Helpguide.org, an online mental health resource, cognitive symptoms of stress include constant worrying and racing or anxious thoughts. During a state of chronic stress, you may worry about a variety of things that either directly affect your life or extend beyond your control. For example, you may give equal amounts of worry or thoughts to your health, job and personal relationships as you do to traffic jams and natural disasters. Additional cognitive symptoms of chronic stress include an inability to focus or concentrate and negative thinking and pessimism.
Emotional Symptoms
Emotionally, chronic stress may demonstrate as feelings of depression, agitation and moodiness. Feeling overwhelmed while in a constant state of stress may cause you to withdraw from activities and relationships you enjoy and may lead to feelings of loneliness, another symptom of chronic stress. If your stress level makes you feel constantly angry or tense, you may be exhibiting signs of chronic stress.
Behavioral Symptoms
Chronic stress also affects how you behave toward other people. Behavioral signs of chronic stress include nail biting, changes in your normal eating and sleeping patterns and using substances--sleeping medications, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes--to help you relax. Outbursts of anger and crying are also behavioral signs of chronic stress. Avoidance of responsibilities, procrastination and negligence at work may demonstrate chronic stress levels.
