The Negative Health Impact of Stress- Guest Post and Infographic
Check out this great guest post by Aris Grigoriou and infographic from Study Medicine Europe discussing the negative health impacts of stress and some tips to help manage your stress.
The Negative Health Impact of Stress
Saying offhand that we’re stressed has become such a trope of modern life. From not sleeping enough to never fully switching off from work, stress is so normalized that many of us don’t even recognize the signs anymore. A disconnect from our bodies and minds coupled with the challenges of working in demanding environments and managing never-ending cycles of emails makes it very tricky to properly know that we’re stressed and take appropriate steps to care for ourselves.
The ever-increasing prominence of stress
Our day-to-day lives these days are far more stressful even if some things are easier. While the conveniences of running water, electricity and affordable transport mean we’re more comfortable than past generations, trade-offs like recessions, automation and climate change all cause a different kind of pressure. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why life has become like this and yet most people are in a chronic state of stress. Moreover, the World Health Organization has flagged how serious the outlook is in terms of public health. In fact, they’ve gone so far as to declare stress the ‘Health Epidemic of the 21st Century’.
Why exactly is stress so risky for our health and what can we do about it?
For all people, stress is a major risk factor for almost every health issue including being one of the leading contributors to heart disease. Even low-level ongoing stress can result in weathering on the nervous system, contribute to insomnia or prompt gastrointestinal problems. The bottom line is that stress puts pressure on our bodies which in turn compromises physiological, mental and emotional wellbeing. This has a flow-on impact to not only our individual health, but also to our families and friends, as well as our wider communities. In the long-term, chronic stress affects everyone and this is why we need to treat this as a serious concern and a crisis in the making. To explore this topic in even more detail as well as propose ideas for managing stress, Study Medicine Europe shared this infographic as a resource to help you learn more and start a conversation about how we can all work to overcome this together. Read on for the full graphic and here’s to better health, including less stress, for all of us.
I hope you enjoyed this great guest post and would love to hear your feedback!
Wishing you a low stress week ahead,
–Ricci-Lee Hotz, MS, RDN
Denver’s Dancing Dietitian
A Taste of Health, LLC
“Improving Quality of life one bite at a time”