Stress is a part and parcel of our daily lives. Stress can motivate and encourage us to complete things in an efficient manner. In that sense, it proves beneficial in a lot of ways. But left unchecked, it may become long term, and can seriously interfere with our family and professional life, and health.

Stress can be described as brain’s response to any demand. Time to time everyone feels overpowered and stressed, but if you are not careful, even small stressors can end up damaging your health. Also referred as a “Silent Killer”, stress can lead to heart disease, chest pain, high Blood Pressure and irregular heartbeats.

Some of the most common stress related health problems are:

• Pimples, blackheads, psoriasis may develop as a result of stress related inflammation. Stress can make acne worse.
• Hair loss is pretty common side effect.
• Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual desire in both men and women.
• Gastrointestinal Problems like heart burn or acid reflux symptoms, irritation or erosion of the lining of the stomach, sores in the colon (large intestine).
• Blood sugar levels are also affected by stress, which can cause mood swings, fatigue, hyperglycemia, and metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for heart attack and diabetes.
• Physical symptoms such as cold and infections, headaches, insomnia, low energy, dry mouth, nervousness and trembling.
• Stress is also related to 6 leading causes of death: – accident, heart attack, suicide, lung ailments, cancer and liver cirrhosis.

Stress can affect all aspects of your life including behavior, thinking, emotions and physical health. No part of the body is resistant. Emotional Symptoms of stress are feeling bad about yourself, lonely, worthless, & depressed, becoming easily frustrated & moody, always trying to avoid others and difficulty in relaxing & quieting your mind.

Stress can mainly affect your behavior- not eating or eating too much, hesitating and avoiding responsibilities, increased use of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs are some of the most common behavioral changes. Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders may also manifest as a result of stress. It has been observed that post-traumatic stress physically transforms children’s brains; specifically diminishing the hippocampus, a part of the brain that stores and retrieves memories.

So if you are feeling stressed out, it’s best not to let it get a hold of you and deal with it before it gets out of hand.