When we think of threats to our mortality, we often think of health concerns that are visible, like cancer and other potentially deadly illnesses. In these examples, we receive a clinical diagnosis and treatment, allowing us to identify and observe if we are improving. But what about other, unseen things that we experience that lead to similar unwanted consequences? I am specifically talking about the potential impact of chronic stress, and how stress can be an invisible, silent killer to humans. No, you won’t “see” stress on any diagnostic measurement like you will cancer, but ongoing, untreated chronic stress can lead to poor overall health — and ultimately premature death.
How stress wears us down
While we can’t place human stress on a table and observe it like we can other human conditions, we all know what it feels like to be “stressed out.” Still, people don’t respond to stress nearly like they do with observable bodily ailments, mostly because stress is viewed as normal, productive, temporary, and even a sign of ambition. Unlike other health threats, stress often gets celebrated until the consequences become impossible to ignore.
Chronic stress, defined as a persistent, prolonged state of feeling overwhelmed and pressured, lasting weeks, months, or years, can have serious negative health effects if left untreated. Some of the most serious physical and mental health concerns related to chronic stress include high blood pressure, heart disease, weakened immune system, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. While stress-related symptoms may not be observed on a daily basis, these symptoms do chip away at physical and mental health until the cumulative damage becomes significant.
Stress can be a silent killer in that the effects of stress are generally not observable, and the consequences of chronic stress can come on fast and without warning.
The psychological cost to chronic stress include problems with concentration, decision making, memory, and emotional regulation. When we are stressed, we become more irritable, withdraw from others, make poorer decisions, and lose perspective. All of these factors and consequences contribute to frustration, intolerance, fatigue, poor self-esteem, and countless more psychological and physical issues.
Ways to guard against stress
No, daily chronic stress is not as dramatic as a heart attack, but as you can see chronic stress can dramatically impact our quality of life, as well as our life longevity. From my own direct clinical experiences, people who focus on staying sharp with the following life skills are more able to minimize frustration, accidents, and poor coping (i.e. alcohol and drugs):
- Time management. Keeping a daily, detailed schedule may seem to be a burden, but it actually helps with productivity, adhering to a schedule, and even minimizing accidents due to responsible planning.
- Communication skills. Learning how to message effectively, actively listen to others, read body language, and resolve conflicts are all examples of the power of communication as it relates to stress.
- Human efficiency. Being efficient means doing something with minimal wasted time, energy, or resources. Efficient people don’t spend two hours doing something that could have been done just as well in half the time.
- Human proficiency. Being proficient means having a high level of skill, knowledge, or competence in a task. When we are proficient, our confidence and self-esteem improve, while our anxiety and stress levels decrease.
- Requiring daily down time. Creating healthy down time for relaxation not only allows our bodies to rest, but also creates a health mind state.
- Investing time & energy toward personal interests. Lost of us only get around to our personal interests and hobbies when we can — and often we never get to that place, and consequently do not do the things we love! Make it a priority to regularly dedicate time toward the things in life that you most value and enjoy, and your mental health will improve as a direct result.
Final thoughts
The effects of chronic stress, while not as visible as other diseases and illnesses, can be just as catastrophic. When our minds and bodies work overtime to properly handle life challenges, we fatigue — both physically and mentally. In addition tot he wear-and-tear we experience with our bodies, we also become more vulnerable to poor stress coping behaviors, including drug and alcohol abuse. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to respond to stress in healthy and effective ways, thereby providing for a longer and better quality of life.
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