Day to day life has been pretty stressful for me over the last year or so, and not purely from the Covid-19 pandemic. The sweeping changes to all our lives coincided with some pretty major family health problems, exacerbated by distance and the restrictions placed on us by the government. Individual incidences of stress since the back end of 2019 have piled up one on top of the other and, with my usual outlet (mountains, travel and wilderness) taken away, it now feels like they’re coming in thick and fast, leaving me unable to catch a break. If I’m honest, I’m exhausted!

From talking to other people, I know that I’m not alone.

So what can be done about it?

Firstly, it’s important to recognise that a little extra pressure from time to time is normal and can actually be a good thing. For example, you may thrive on leaving deadlines to the last minute so you can make use of the extra motivation and energy to get results.

However, when things become overwhelming, stress becomes a problem affecting both our mental and physical health. When that happens, the cumulative effect of stress can also mean the smallest difficulty becomes a huge burden.

What is chronic stress?

Chronic stress happens when we have a prolonged period of stress, deal with a high frequency of stressors or have an intensely stressful experience. When our bodies deal with these types of situation, they do not have the opportunity to regularly activate their relaxation response (which helps to negate the physiological stress). In effect, our bodies remain in a constant state of heightened stress and, untreated, this can negatively affect our health.

Everyday pressures in our lives, with our families or at work can cause chronic stress, along with specific traumatic events. It’s therefore clear to see that the ongoing stress of the Covid-19 pandemic (leading to changes to our every day life, restrictions in seeing loved ones, fear of our health, uncertainty about the future, and more) can easily become a trigger for chronic stress. Or, other stressful situations occurring at the same time have the potential to become bigger than normal.

We evolved as humans to deal with short periods of acute stress. The caveman coming across a sabre toothed tiger would welcome the resulting physiological changes to their body - an increase in heart rate, release of adrenaline and heightened awareness of everything around meaning a better ability to deal with the situation in front of them. Once the danger passed, everything reverts to normal operation.

But with chronic stress, our bodies continue to behave as if the sabre toothed tiger is still right there in front of us, which can take it’s toll on the body.

What are the symptoms of chronic stress?

The symptoms of chronic stress will vary from person to person, along with the severity experienced. Some of the signs to look out for include:

• Fatigue and decreased energy

• General aches and pains

• Headaches

• Difficulty concentrating

• Problems with sleep

• Irritability and short tempered

• Feeling overwhelmed and out of control

• Changes in appetite and digestive problems

• Low self esteem

• Feelings of helplessness

• Loss of sex drive

• Regular illnesses and infections

• Mood swings or mood change

• Nervousness and anxiety

• Constant worry and anxiety

• Difficulty relaxing or using alcohol/drugs to relax

Left untreated, these symptoms can lead to longer term health issues.

What are the health impacts of chronic stress?

A whole host of mental and physical health issues can result from ongoing chronic stress. Some of these include:

• Depression

• Insomnia

• Diabetes

• Heart disease

• Obesity

• Weakened immune system

• Burnout

• Skin irritation

• Underactive thyroid

• High blood pressure

• Ulcers

• Irritable bowel syndrome

It’s therefore important to recognise when chronic stress is affecting us and to find ways to manage this, activating our natural relaxation response.

What to do when you’re feeling stressed

Understanding the signs and symptoms of stress, especially in our own bodies, is one of the best things we can learn. Once we’ve recognised chronic stress, we can do something about it! Even better if we can identify the triggers and remove them.

However, it’s not always possible to do that, so it’s worth having a few strategies up your sleeve to manage your stress. One of my previous blog posts ‘How to reduce stress’ has a list of 10 things you can do (and, importantly, why they help). Since writing the blog post, I’ve come across another meditation app which I love. The full Balance App is being offered free of charge for a year but if you don’t want to add your payment details for later, it’s still worth downloading to use the more limited meditations which include a great one for getting back to sleep.

There are also various treatments available such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which helps to change the way you think about a situation through talking with a counsellor and mindfulness which helps you to pay more attention to the present moment. It could be that medication from your GP will help.

It’s worth taking a look at your lifestyle to see whether you’re taking on too much or using alcohol and late nights to block out how you’re feeling. Sometimes, unplugging and taking time away from social media can be beneficial. Whilst it can be a great way to connect, it’s also constantly bombarding you with information and can often be a negative stressor which just adds to the other pile of stuff you’re dealing with.

This blog post from The Mental Health Foundation has some great tips and check out this NHS article for details of support organisations and who to contact in an emergency. Mind also has some great resources on their website and I love this blog post which picks up on the social isolation from the Covid-19 pandemic ‘Why we might all be a bit lonely and why it matters’.

Ask for help

The important thing is to ask for help when you need it, whether that’s letting your loved ones know that you’re finding things difficult, visiting your GP or contacting a support organisation.

And remember, it’s ok not to be ok.

Outdoor-Girl is run by Jacquie Budd, a freelance writer providing content writing, copywriting and digital marketing services for businesses and charities.

Visit www.jacquiebudd.com for more information.