Effects of chronic stress

Recently,  i wrote an article on Depression and i realised that one of the factors that can insigate Depression is stress.

Stress is a common theme in life. Infact, I have finally realized that stress is the evil dictator ruling a vicious cycle.

Stress is something we have all experienced at some point in our lives. From a biological perspective, stress is a phenomenon that occurs when we experience circumstances that disturb our physical and mental equilibrium. These circumstances, which are referred to as stressors, include heavy workloads, relationship problems, illnesses or upcoming, life-changing events such as weddings, divorces or childbirth. Stress is naturally occurring and can even be helpful in certain situations such as being under pressure to finish an essay, but if stress is not relieved it becomes chronic. Chronic stress can have negative effects on our physical and psychological condition, relationships, work or school situation and other aspects of our social life.

Stressors initiate physical and psychological responses which manifest in different ways. For one, our physical condition can be affected by stress, which manifests in tension, headaches, high blood pressure and other physical ailments. On top of that, stress is known to worsen life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, stroke and heart attack. For instance, research has shown, that survivors of heart attacks were able to decrease their chance of recurrence by 74% by being counseled in stress management.

Furthermore, stressors are generated in the nervous system and can lead to several psychological effects such as depression, irritability, anxiety, sleeping problems and memory loss, if they are prolonged. For example, the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons claims that "[... ] stress may adversely affect hippocampal structure and function, producing deficits of both memory and cognition", which demonstrates that the brain is strongly influenced by chronic stress. Unfortunately, the physical effects of stress can actually lead to the psychological effects of stress and vice versa. In fact, conditions like obesity and anorexia are often caused by depression while depression can be caused by chronic stress. These manifestations of chronic stress can then have further adverse effects on a person's social life and employment.

More than just being able to affect each other, the physical and psychological effects of chronic stress can also disturb interpersonal relationships in many ways. In the first place, the physical effects of stress can actually result in a lack of closeness within a relationship. For example, having constant headaches or tension may cause a person to be less attentive and communicative. Since communication is such an important aspect in relationships, the lack of it may lead to problems. In like manner, the psychological effects of stress can be a trigger of arguments and other tense situations between two or more people. For instance, when a person is constantly irritated from chronic stress it is difficult to deal with him or her, which is undoubtedly a potential trigger for arguments. Dealing with a stressed person often results in stress in the other person as well. Therefore it is likely that chronic stress does not only affect the person initially suffering from it, but also lead to stress in the person being confronted by it.

Watch out for the concluding part!!!
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