The impact of stress on your mental health

We have all been stressed and we will always have times in our lives when we feel stress. It is totally normal to feel stressed and have adrenaline pumping through our bodies before a performance, competition, or interview. It is also normal to have the same responses when we are overwhelmed, have a deadline or have too much going on; the problem is when that stressed state never gets a chance to return to normal.

As much as stress is not a mental health condition or disorder, it can have a profound negative impact on our mental health in many ways. Here are a few:

1. Anxiety

Prolonged stress can create an increased level of anxiety, overthinking, paranoia, social withdrawal, and panic attacks.

2. Depression

Periods of stress usually worsen conditions which already exist, so for people who have already suffered with depression, the arrival and stress of a new child, could bring on Post Natal Depression, and for people who suffer a bereavement, the stress could bring on a more profound depressive episode.

3. Eating disorders

As a result of feeling overwhelmed and out of control, a person with an eating disorder, may indulge more severely in the disordered behaviour such as restriction, binging or purging, even if they had previously been in recovery.

4. PTSD

A traumatic period of stress such as assault, abuse, violence, witnessing a crime, being burgled or mugged or having an accident, can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which can sometimes take years to recover from, even with therapy.

5. Addictions/ substance abuse/ self-harm

Like eating disorders, excessive stress can trigger coping mechanisms and for people with addictions or dependances, their coping mechanisms are usually harmful to their physical and mental health. The need to use these substances can be so strong that functioning normally can become difficult.

Having the strategies to cope with stress can help us recover from stressful periods and ensure that we are taking positive steps to rid ourselves of it. Awareness of how we cope and if these strategies are positive or negative, can help us recognize times when stress becomes unmanageable. Try to rest, recover, take time for yourself, journal, meditate, read, watch TV, spend time with loved ones and do physical activity – they all help with self-care and giving your body time to get back to 100%.