Written by Dr. Aisha Harris
Our lives can get busy sometimes as we are taking care of ourselves and our families. Juggling work, school, bills, and whatever life throws at us.
Are we doing it right? Is there a balance that we are maintaining? Or is it constant chaos?
Chronic stress is the consistent sense of feeling pressured or overwhelmed over a long period of time. It is the result of facing various challenges and trying to figure out how to make things work.
But it is not just solving a problem and getting through something difficult only to have another challenge present itself. It is also a contribution to our physical health, mental health and emotional health.
We cannot ignore the negative impact of chronic stress and that it can influence our way of living and thinking, as well as our health overall. According to the American Psychological Association, “Chronic stress can affect both our physical and psychological well-being by causing a variety of problems including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system.”
Major causes of stress include work stress, life stress, financial stress, relationship stress, family stress and many more.
Work stress is one of the leading causes of stress due to long hours, heavy workloads, dangerous conditions, unhappiness, poor management – and even discrimination or harassment.
Short-term stress can cause headaches, fatigue, tiredness, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating and irritability. These can be temporary and relieved after the stress resolves, but they can also be constant reminders if the stress lingers or becomes consistent.
Chronic or long-term stress builds on these symptoms and can contribute to the development of other medical problems because of the increased inflammation and biological changes caused by stress. Chronic stress can cause depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, heartburn, weight changes, fertility issues and more.
Chronic stress is not benign, but a leading factor in health risk factors across the board.
Your health is not just how your body feels today. but also how today’s health impacts tomorrow’s health, as well as next year’s health and beyond.
Decreasing chronic stress can not only create a better life balance, but decreases the risk of developing medical problems or worsening medical problems in the future. Finding ways to decrease stress will be beneficial and could contribute to better management of known medical problems.
But if chronic stress cannot be addressed or decreased in a timely fashion, preventative steps and treatment options should be discussed for medical problems negatively impacted by stress.
Dr. Aisha Harris, MD, is a Flint native and board-certified family medicine doctor at Harris Family Health in Flint, Michigan. Harris Family Health is a membership-based clinic that provides personalized and full primary care to adults and children. Learn more about Harris Family Health by visiting www.harrisfamilyhealth.com.
Feel free to submit health questions to Dr. Harris via theflintcouriernews@gmail.com.
