Ignoring Signs of Stress could Cost You Your Life?

What signs of stress, you ask? While some individuals, e.g. extreme sports enthusiasts, roller-coaster fanatics, stock exchange dealers, actually thrive on the cut and thrust of modern life, and high-stress lifestyles, for most of us stress is counter-productive and downright dangerous to our health and well-being.

You may be ignoring the signs of stress and not be aware of the many ways in which stress affects the body. It is even possible that you have come to believe your stressed out physiology, neurology, reactions and behaviour is normal. You may think your body has adapted to the demands placed upon it by overwork, overworry, poor lifestyle choices or a quick-to-anger defense mechanism.Read how to manage anger with NLP

Eventually your body will call a halt to the proceedings. You may not then even be around to make your excuses.

How Does Stress Affect Health?

Stress is an inbuilt primeval response to real or perceived danger. Whether life challenges present a real and physical danger or your mind is working overtime on worry, grief or imagined threats, your body prepares for a 'fight or flight' reaction by releasing hormones, adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. Hence those hyper, pumped-up, super-power gonna take-on-the-world moments you can experience when fired up by threatening situations.

Stress can equally drag you down into stress depression and anxiety. (See my top tips to beat depression) Living unhappily will have an impact on your life and if not now, then later, it will affect your day to day existence. You adopt a gloomy outlook on life and perceive there to be no future for you.

Life has no momentum. You settle for less, lack motivation, your get-up-and-go is depleted and you may retire from society and stay at home, not bothering to socialize, - other than to work so you can live.

Your physical symptoms can include insomnia, disturbed sleep,vivid colourful dreams, nightmares or night terrors. Read insomnia symptoms and tips and the importance of a good sleep routine.

Effects of stress on health

Tension, hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the common effects of stress on health. You will feel tense, wound-up like a spring, unsettled, anxious or nervous. If unhappy or depressed you may carry your own personal black storm cloud around with you, not knowing how to deal with, or escape from the situation you are in.

The physical pressure will affect body posture resulting in other signs of stress:

Grin or grimace, smile or snarl - though you try to brave it out and offer the outside world a mask of normality most people will see straight through the pretence, even though you remain resolutely in denial to your nearest and dearest. It is as though you have your troubles written on your forehead. Your body cannot lie and ultimately you will succumb. .

Common outcomes from stress include:

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