And when the stress response never completely powers down, it also becomes harder not to have an outsized response to even minimal stressors, Dossett explains. This can also be demoralizing, as it can produce a state of feeling out of control in ones own body.
Depressed moodChronic anxietyDifficulty sleeping (or sleeping too much)IrritabilityDifficulty concentrating, focusing, or learningInsomniaStress eating, bingeing, or increasing your intake of drugs or alcoholLoss of sex drive
The difference is that with chronic stress, these symptoms fail to subside when the stressor goes away. Most people can manage routine acute stressors fairly well. Chronic stress, however, becomes more difficult to handle because it depletes our coping reserves, Dossett explains. “It changes our physiology.” The stress hormones act directly on our brain and nervous system, she says. “When we are repeatedly flooded with stress hormones, it impacts our cognitive function, ability to make decisions and think creatively, and our entire body physiology.”
Gastrointestinal upset, such as irritable bowel syndrome, heartburn, nausea, and painHeadaches and jaw painHeart diseaseHigh blood pressureMuscle pain and tensionSkin rashesWeight gainBurnout and loss of purpose
If focusing on self-care doesn’t help (or is not possible or available to you), talk to your doctor about stress, Dossett says. Your doctor can help identify underlying health issues that may be contributing, or help you create a self-care routine that better helps you manage the stressors in your life (or refer you to someone who can help with this, like a therapist or psychiatrist). Whether or not you’re stressed, it’s smart to see your primary care physician once a year for a complete exam, including a check of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, cholesterol, and possibly thyroid hormones. Stress and symptoms of stress you’re experiencing (or not experiencing) should be part of that conversation. Stress symptoms can be signs of other significant health issues. “When women have heart palpitations, doctors are more likely to think that they’re either experiencing stress or anxiety, or [even potentially judge] that they’re hysterical in some way. As a result, women tend to be underdiagnosed with heart disease,” says Dr. Haythe. And this happens despite the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. (Common heart attack symptoms for women are fatigue, shortness of breath, jaw and back pain, and nausea.) A good rule of thumb: If unusual symptoms or symptoms you suspect may be stress-related persist for more than a week or two, see your physician. “People who struggle with anxiety have a tendency to ruminate or worry excessively about things, accompanied by physical sensations like butterflies in the stomach or heart palpitations,” says Dr. Dossett. “Usually these symptoms are not concerning and simply the result of an overactive stress response,” Dossett adds. “However, if they persist, it is important to see a physician to rule out more serious causes.” RELATED: Are You Just Feeling Anxious, or Do You Have an Anxiety Disorder? Younger adults and parents with children living at home experienced the most stress during the pandemic, according to the APA. Half of adults in both of these groups felt skyrocketing stress levels from navigating daily life during the pandemic. “Our data show that increased stress, anxiety, and depression are not only consequences of living with the pandemic, but may also be factors that increase our risk of getting SARS-CoV-2 too,” says the lead study author Kavita Vedhara, PhD, Professor of Health Psychology at the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham in the England.
