Impact of stress

Stress is a common experience in today's fast-paced world, but what exactly is its impact on your health? 

Positive impacts of stress on health?

We often view stress as a bad thing, however in small amounts it can be beneficial. For instance, small amount of stress may improve motivation as it can push you to act and achieve goals. Furthermore, stress can heighten alertness, sharpen memory and may improve cognitive function short term. Lastly, facing and overcoming stress can lead to improved coping mechanisms which helps build confidence and personal development. Therefore, small doses of stress may help release adrenaline that results in various benefits.

Physical impacts of prolonged stress

While small amount of stress can be beneficial, prolonged stress can lead to various physical impacts. For instance, stress can have big impacts of blood pressure and heart health. Have you ever struggled to sleep because of too many racing thoughts? Due to so much stress it may lead to sleep disturbances such as insomnia. Stress can also impact your eating habits leading to weight gain or loss due to appetite.

Emotional impacts of prolonged stress

Prolonged stress can have major impacts on your mental wellbeing. For instance, over a long period of time, stress can cause anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. This is because of stress hormones like cortisol that and adrenaline that heighten your sensitivity to perceived danger. This results in constant worry, nervousness or fear, even when there's no immediate danger.

Cognitive impacts of prolonged stress

There are various cognitive impacts of stress on cognitive function. Stress hormones may lead to poor concentration and focus. Furthermore, stress may lead to poor memory as it impairs the brains ability to store and retrieve memories. Lastly, impacts your judgement, decision making and problem solving. When the mind is under stress, it's default to instinctual reactions instead of rational and long term thinking.

In conclusion, Stress can be utilised for good when it' short term. However, prolonged exposure to stress leads to various physical, emotional, and cognitive impacts. Therefore, Finding good ways to manage stress is essential.