Understanding Stress and Anxiety

Stress, anxiety, and anger are normal human responses while dealing with different situations. In daily life, we all have such emotions. As long as our body and mind are functioning normally, there is nothing to worry about. However, sometimes anxiety and stress reach a point when things start getting blurry, expression gets frizzy and numb, and appetite is reduced drastically. These symptoms are not normal. Now the person needs counselling and systematic assistance to learn healthy coping mechanisms. 

Let's understand the impacts of severe stress and anxiety at different levels: physiological, psychological, and emotional.  Learning how it impairs normal functioning of the body and mind.

Physical level: It presents as fatigue, headaches, and severe or lower back pain. Sometimes the root of various metabolic diseases also lies in persistent and extreme stressful conditions. Stress hormones (primarily cortisol) are released when the brain perceives stress. These cortisol increase blood glucose during stress. Chronic elevation of cortisol disrupts multiple metabolic pathways. When stress is long-term, the body shifts from survival mode to disease mode. Hunger and sleep quality get reduced. Back aches and increased inflammation are also part of it. In the longer term, stress causes immune dysregulation. 

Emotional Level: At this level, people usually become unreasonably aggressive, extremely emotional, as they start crying at every sad, hurtful incident, even talking and watching someone in pain. Their emotions get dysregulated completely. If anyone speaks loudly to them, they can't handle themselves. Also, such incidents become a reason for their overthinking. Sometimes impossible to come out of that loop of overthinking.  Feeling numb when asked about internal sufferings.  They also have trust issues, low self-esteem, and are not able to perform well, even in simple and easy tasks.  Feeling distant, lonely and sad continuously for more than a month.  They totally shut off their emotions and appears normal to outsider.

Psychological level: Individual having such problems do not perform according to their age at times. Understanding simple things gets difficult. Memory and behavioural issues can be seen apparently. Other behavioural changes also become noticeable, as social interaction reduces drastically, getting aggressive and dysregulated every now and then. Not taking care of health, hygiene, and appearance. Losing interest in life as a whole. Avoiding things that trigger anxiety. Talking negatively about oneself. Self-awareness and esteem decrease. Not appreciating oneself for good things. They have poor coping mechanisms and mental stability.