The consequences of not managing stress problems in our lives

Stress is an element that is part of the natural functioning of our body. As annoying as it may be at times, being stressed doesn't have to be a problem, much less a psychological disorder. It is simply an adaptation mechanism that helps us to be prepared to act quickly in key situations.

However, excess stress problems are a reality. Sometimes, we become so stressed that it works against us, and not in our favor. And when we have to go through an experience like this, it is best to take action on the matter as soon as possible. Let's see why, through a review of the consequences of not intervening in stress problems.

• Related article: "Types of stress and their triggers"

The main consequences of not solving stress problems

These are the ways in which excess stress damages our quality of life in the medium and long term if we do not take steps to mitigate it.

1. In maintaining healthy habits

One of the areas of life in which the impact of excess psychological stress is more clearly reflected has to do with our self-care habits; that is, how we eat, how we take care of our hygiene, how we keep fit and how we ensure enough quality sleep.

As, on the one hand, excess stress makes us focus on the most extreme short-termism, and on the other it tends to "paralyze" us through psychological rumination (that is, the tendency to think again and again about what we are obsessed with or worried about), It is very common that in situations like this we tend to constantly postpone actions like cooking something healthy, going to sleep at the right time, taking a shower when it's time, etc.

• You may be interested in: "10 psychologically healthy daily habits, and how to apply them to your life"

2. In physical health

These kinds of psychological alterations or only influence our physical health through their influence on our self-care actions; what's more, They can also wear down the functioning of our body in a direct way, through physiological or organic processes in general. When this happens, we speak of somatizations, which are health problems in which the psychological discomfort is reflected through physical signs and symptoms: stomach pain, itching in the skin, headaches, etc.

Somatizations are one of the most common consequences of stress problems when they are maintained for relatively long periods, and although the mechanisms are not known that transform stress into physical discomfort, it is believed to have to do with the wear and tear produced by abnormal hormone release patterns maintained for too long weather.

• Related article: "Somatization: what is it and what symptoms does it produce?"

3. In the family

In the family environment, the main consequences of stress are the tendency to introspection and social isolation (the result of psychological rumination) and, on the other hand, predisposition to be irritable when we are very stressed: any disappointment or comment that we consider ambiguous makes us adopt a hostile attitude due to the frustration that that generates us. Definitely, We do not like that through coexistence social interactions arise that interrupt our flow of thoughts focused on what concerns us.

• You may be interested in: "Family therapy: types and forms of application"

4. In friendships

With friends, something similar happens to what happens with families when it comes to problems due to excess stress: this kind of psychological alteration predisposes us to isolate ourselves and to focus our attention towards the interior of our mind or towards external stimuli that may have to do with what worries us, but not towards the rest of the elements that surround us. For this reason, it is common for those who have been too stressed for a while stop seeing their friends so often.

5. At work

Finally, it must be said that although in theory stress serves to help us react quickly to fleeting opportunities and Faced with the signs that if we do not move in time something bad will happen to us, this does not mean that our performance always improves labor.

In fact, the most common is that in the medium and long term, excess stress worsens our performance at work. First, because it exhausts us, making it difficult for us to focus on a task long enough to "connect" with it. And in second place, because the fear of facing certain experiences that we anticipate and that obsess us, makes us let's try to avoid going through that, so we put off again and again the tasks that make us think about what generates us anxiety.

• Related article: "Burnout (Burning Syndrome): How to detect it and take action"

Are you interested in learning to manage stress in your day to day?

There are several habits and strategies that help mitigate stress and anxiety so that they do not overwhelm us, becoming a problem that reduces our quality of life. And one of the most useful and simple is to adopt the practice of meditation. Incorporating brief sessions of several minutes of meditation into our daily routines helps us re-balance our state emotional and favors that the general levels of nervous activation are not higher than those required by the circumstances.

In this sense, the Gurumind app It can be very useful both to learn to meditate and, if you already know how to do it, to have access to multiple meditation materials and incorporate them into your schedule through programs tailored to your needs. Download the app and start living in a more emotionally healthy way.