Depression & Physical Stress

While some stress may help with motivation, many individuals suffer from too much, leaving them in pain physically and experiencing depression. Stress can wreak havoc on your body, immune system, muscles, heart and emotions. Learning how to manage stress will help reduce the risk of experiencing depression, or other stress-related disorders.

Stress and Mental Health

• Emotional symptoms of stress include depression, loneliness, mood swings and irritability. Life events that cause stress include work, marriage or relationships and financial difficulty. You may also increase your risk of stress and depression by being unwilling to deal with change, having a pessimistic attitude or setting unrealistic expectations for you or those around you.

  Dealing with your mental health in times of stress is as important as dealing with the physical symptoms. Try to stay positive, and build resilience to deal with stressful situations. Ways to improve mental health to prevent depression include spending time with people you care about, and knowing when to walk away from a stressful situation.

Physical Stress

• Whether you experience mental or physical stress, your body reacts the same. Symptoms of physical stress include muscle pain, upset stomach, sweating or breathing irregularity. Stress may also negatively affect the immune system, increasing chances of getting sick more frequently. To deal with stress, identify where it is coming from in your life, whether it is from work, home life or other events.

  There are a variety of ways to deal with physical stressors, since stress is often unavoidable. Learn to walk away from situations that are causing stress, and go back to them when you are ready to deal with it. Take control of the situation by making changes to the environment, which will help you feel more relaxed.

  Instead of keeping feelings in, try to share them with close friends or family. Building resentment toward people or situations affects the body both physically and mentally. Finally, try to accept things that cannot be changed. By stressing over things you cannot change, you subject yourself to unnecessary symptoms of stress which lead to emotional, behavioral, physical and cognitive ailments.