By Outer Banks Health
Stress is part of life, no matter who you are, stress is a normal part of being human. Feeling stressed is our automatic physical, mental, and emotional reaction to a challenging event. Doing so helps us adjust to new situations by impacting our heart rate, breathing, and vision, which makes us more alert and motivated.
Stress can have a negative effect…For this reason, it is important to keep our response to stress in check in order to protect our overall well-being.
“Our bodies give us a lot of warning signs when we’re becoming overly stressed,” says Janet Creef, licensed clinical social worker with Outer Banks Health Cancer Services. “A few of those are unexplained chest pain, racing heart, trouble sleeping, dizziness, high blood pressure, digestive challenges, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.” Creef also noted that chronic stress can weaken our immune system, which opens the door for other illnesses.