Stress as a Chronic Disease
When people think of chronic disease, they think of four major illnesses: Heart Disease, Cancer, Lung Disease and Diabetes. Often this fifth chronic illness is left out of the discussion.
Stress.
Stress is taking a major toll on health and the overall cost to benefit plans. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss stress, how it’s a chronic illness and what you can do to eliminate this illness from your life and office.
The natural side of stress.
So, what exactly is stress? When you encounter something that you deem a threat, your hypothalamus, a tiny part of your brain’s base, sets off an alarm in your body. This alarm is a combination of nerve and hormonal signals deeming that there’s a threat. Your system will then prompt your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol (the primary stress hormone).
Adrenaline = increases heart rate + elevates blood pressure + energy boosted
Cortisol = increases sugars in the blood + enhances your brain’s use of glucose + increases the availability of substances that repair tissue.
It’s important to note that cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential in a fight-or-flight situation which is often how we think of stress.
While this may all seem technical and medical, it’s exactly everything that happens when you feel stressed about a situation. Stress is a natural feeling that is associated with daily life. This is called short-lived stress. When these stressful feelings and emotions becoming long-lived, it becomes chronic stress. But what happens when that normal everyday stress like your workload or a long to-do list or change caused by a pandemic is prolonged for an extended amount of time?
Chronic stress.
Chronic stress can severely impact a person’s health if it isn’t discussed or worked through.
When stress becomes chronic.
Once a normally stressful situation has ended, your response system goes back to normal. Your hormones and your cortisol levels return to regular and you are able to continue on your day. But, when you have an overwhelming amount of stress that doesn’t go away, your stress has the potential to become a chronic illness.
When a person experiences stress as a chronic disease, they have stressors that are always present in their lives. When a person experiences these stressors constantly, that fight or flight mode never leaves. Which leaves a person feelings chronically ill, stressed and unwell.
What happens when a body is chronically stressed?
When a person’s stress-response system is on high alert 24/7, they have an overexposure of cortisol, adrenaline and other stress hormones in their body. These overexposures then disrupt a person’s other body processes.
When everything is out of alignment, a person has an increased risk of these other health problems:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Sleeping problems
- Weight gain
- Heart issues
- Memory and concentration issues
Here are some other signs and symptoms of chronic stress:
- Rapid, disorganized thoughts
- Low self-esteem
- Loss of sexual desire
- Nervousness
- Frequent infections and illnesses
- The beginning of other chronic illnesses
How to deal with stress in a healthy way.
Like we mentioned before, stress is a normal thing that everyone deals with. But, if you don’t deal with it and it starts to pile up, your body can begin to experience chronic stress. It’s important to know how to deal with stress in a healthy way to ensure that stress doesn’t become a chronic disease for you.
You can start by learning to identify the stressors in your life. Determine what they are, when they become present in your life and how you feel when they show up. Once you begin to identify them, you can work on taking care of yourself physically and emotionally when it comes to handling these stressors.
How to eliminate stress as a chronic disease.
Some of our favourite stress management strategies include:
- Time away from technology. On top of our everyday stressors, we’ve found that a lot of people are experiencing additional stress due to social media, expectations and time online. These additional stressors can turn around and cause stress to become a chronic disease for you. So, notice how much time you’re spending on technology and try to lower that number.
- Have a healthy diet. Eating whole foods with the majority of your plate being vegetables and fruits will allow you to feel good on the inside. When you feel good on the inside and are healthy, stress is easier to deal with.
- Get regular exercise. Just as diet is important for the inside, exercise is too. For the inside and the outside. When you’re physically fit, it’s easier to deal with stress.
- Relaxation techniques. Whether it’s getting enough sleep, practicing yoga, meditation, getting a massage or breathing deeply, find a relaxation technique that works for you. This will allow you to relax once a stressor becomes present.
- Get some help. Sometimes life gets overwhelming. Or maybe we just get out of practice with healthy mental habits. Our minds spin when we are stressed. This is the perfect time to reach out to a counsellor or life coach, often available through your Employee Assistance Program for free.
Support through your group benefits plan
Many workplace benefits offer counselling as a benefit that can be used towards working through chronic stress.
Massage, working with a dietitian and visiting a physio clinic are always great ways to work through the stress and tension in your body. If you’re an employee, be sure to check your medical benefit plan and see what you have covered.
If you’re a boss, be sure to discuss stress with your staff members. Speak openly about solving stress and not keeping a hold of it at the office or at home. And, if you haven’t already, reach out to a Benefits Advisor to see how you can improve your benefits for your employees. You can talk to a Benefits Advisor about Health and Wellness strategies, ideas and best practices focused on mental health to better support your employees.
If you’re interested in speaking with an Advisor at Navy and Sage Benefits, please give us a call today. We’d be happy to help your business eliminate the potential for stress as a chronic disease.
