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Stress Can Exacerbate All Kinds of Health Issues. A Little Self-Love Can Help.
Stress and anxiety are facts of life, whether you’re working hard to pass your finals, raise a family, climb the corporate ladder, or just get through the wedding season with your sanity and finances intact.
Stress can be sudden and unexpected (a health scare or layoff), or predictable and persistent (your morning commute, caring for an aging parent, ballooning home expenses).
And it can have further-reaching consequences than a migraine, a breakout, or fatigue.
Stress and your health
Leading healthcare organizations agree that chronic stress can have a long-term effect on your health. You’re probably familiar with some of the most common and immediate symptoms of stress. They include:
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Exhaustion
- Sleep problems
- Overeating or undereating
- Changes in your sex drive
But wait, there’s more
In addition to these common side effects, stress and anxiety can also lead to more serious health issues by weakening your immune system and leaving you more vulnerable to infections and viruses.
When you experience stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. It alters your body’s immune system responses, suppresses your digestive system, and increases sugar in your bloodstream.
Too much exposure to cortisol can disrupt almost every process in your body, increasing your risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, insomnia, and weight gain, to name just a few. Stress can even lead to a heightened risk of vaginal infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs), yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis.
Self-care to the rescue
Though stress can seem overwhelming at times, there are several steps you can take to reduce its impact on your life. One of the easiest is to practice self-care through acts of self-love.
Feelings of stress can arise when we don’t feel capable of overcoming certain challenges. However, when we care for ourselves and treat ourselves compassionately, we can feel better equipped to handle whatever life throws. Adopting an attitude of self-love can boost resiliency, keeping us mentally fit and helping us bounce back from setbacks.
Treating yourself has its benefits
Whether indulging in a spa day, taking a much-deserved getaway, or just engaging in your favorite pastime for an hour each day, treating yourself regularly has mood-boosting benefits. When you feel good, you can better combat stress and its adverse effects. You’ll find that keeping your stress levels low might lead to a more robust immune system, which means fewer infections.
When we’re in a good place mentally, we’re also better able to stay on top of goals like weight management because we’re less likely to over- or undereat.
Are you stuck on where to start? Here are some quick and easy ideas for practicing self-love:
- Snuggle up for a solo movie night with your favorite flicks.
- Buy an outfit you’ve had your eye on for a while.
- Bust a move during a 15-minute dance session.
- Buy yourself flowers.
- Take a few minutes to meditate.
- Compliment yourself.
How to treat the side effects of stress
Despite our best efforts, sometimes stress still gets to us. Suppose your chronic stress or anxiety has resulted in an illness or weight issues. In that case, getting ahead of the problem as soon as possible is essential to return to feeling your best.
eMed can help. We’ve developed a series of convenient and affordable kits that test for some of the most common infections, including UTIs, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast infection — all health issues that can arise when our immune systems are weakened.
Each test is shipped directly to your home and can be completed in less than 30 minutes. If your results indicate an active infection, you’ll be prescribed treatment to get over your systems faster and return to living your life.
If stress is getting in the way of your weight-loss goals, our clinician-supervised weight-management program might be a good fit for you. It helps patients lose weight with GLP-1 medications that curb hunger and promote feelings of fullness.
Whatever issues you’re struggling with, remember it’s okay to ask for help. We’re here when you need us. In the meantime, show yourself a little self-love now and then — it can go a long way.
