Stress often results if a person feels that there are high pressures or demands, that there is a threat to their well-being or that they don't have enough resources to cope with the demands. Common sources of stress include a person's physical environment e. These situations can include negative events such as financial problems, relationship breakup, difficulties at work or school, injury, illness or death and grieving.
However, situations leading to stress can also include positive changes, such as work promotions, getting married or buying a house. Because stress is a normal part of life, everyone experiences it. However, the intensity, frequency and duration of stress will be different for each person. Numerous factors can make the experience of stress worse, such as when people:. Practicing self-care is important for reducing stress.
Some good ways to reduce and manage stress include eating well, exercising regularly, trying to reduce negativity, prioritizing leisure time, limiting alcohol and caffeine, avoiding cigarettes and other drugs, and adopting proper sleep hygiene. Once a person feels a sense of emotional well-being, they feel stronger and more able to bounce back from stress. This helps them feel that they can cope better with difficult life events.
Severe stress may be a symptom of an anxiety disorder. Seek professional help if the signs and symptoms of stress have been present for a long period of time; if your functioning at work, school, home or socially is affected; or if you experience increasing stress and emotional difficulties.
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NIMH hosts an annual lecture series dedicated to innovation, invention, and scientific discovery. Contribute to Mental Health Research. Everyone feels stressed from time to time, but what is stress? How does it affect your overall health? And what can you do to manage your stress? Stress is how the brain and body respond to any demand. Any type of challenge—such as performance at work or school, a significant life change, or a traumatic event—can be stressful.
Stress can affect your health. It is important to pay attention to how you deal with minor and major stressors, so you know when to seek help.
Everyone experiences stress from time to time. There are different types of stress—all of which carry physical and mental health risks. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions.
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Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references How stress affects your health. American Psychological Association. Accessed March 5, Stress and your health. Department of Health and Human Services. Seaward BL. Essentials of Managing Stress. It can affect both nerve cells grey matter and the connections between them white matter. It is possible these changes, along with other factors, can increase the likelihood of developing mental illness.
Another link between stress and mental health is the immune system. During the stress response, the immune system is activated, helping to keep us safe.
But chronic stress and prolonged activation of the immune system could negatively affect how the brain functions. A prolonged activation of the immune system is also linked to depression.
Researchers are working to understand how this activation can lead to depression and other types of mental illness in some people. Researchers are also undertaking clinical trials to find out if anti-inflammatory drugs might be able to help people with this kind of depression. Find out more about stress, the immune system and depression in our podcast. In some cases, short-term stress can also lead to a mental health condition. Someone affected may experience vivid flashbacks or nightmares, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
The exact causes of the condition are not clear - though some of the risk factors are understood. State-of-the-art brain scanning has shown that, again, the areas of the brain particularly involved are the hippocampus and the amygdala.
There is some evidence that the neurotransmitters and hormones involved in the normal stress response may become disrupted during and after the traumatic event. A key area for research is to understand why some people are much more affected by stress than others.
A vast amount of research shows that genetics, early life events, and personality and social factors all have a role to play. Understanding the biology of stress and its effects means that researchers can work towards new treatments.
It could also help predict who is at risk of developing a mental health condition, and uncover the best time to intervene to help prevent ill-health later on.
There are lots of ways to help anyone who is stressed. The first advice is to try and identify the cause of stress and tackle it. Avoiding the problem may make it worse. But, there are many ways to help control it, and stress management may be effective in improving health.
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