title. I feel like you always hear stuff to the liking of “high stress leads to poor health,” but I am kind of wondering exactly why this occurs.
For instance, it’s said that stress can cause:
- Aches and pains.
- Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
- Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
- Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
- High blood pressure.
- Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
- Stomach or digestive problems.
- Trouble having sex.
- Weak immune system.
Imagine, hypothetically, that I were to have a high stress life, but still had good sleep, low blood pressure, and a slow heart rate, while also staying away from unhealthy habits like drinking or addiction.
Would my health still be worse than a person who lives an equivalent, but less stressful life than me?
So, the negative effects of stress don’t come from stress itself, but from the fight-or-flight response it elicits. Could you not just switch to having a different response to stress?
For instance, from “The Upside of Stress” by Kelly McGonigal, it says there can be more stress responses than fight-or-flight. Would this then indicate as long as you don’t show symptoms of the fight-or-flight response (poor immune system, digestive system, etc), your stress doesn’t necessarily have to be harmful to you? :)
edit: Found a cool TedTalk from Kelly McGonigal as well