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How Does Stress Affect Health?

At one point or another, nearly everyone wonders how does stress affect health? And, an equal number of people have also said to themselves,

“Stress?!
What is the big deal? Everyone is stressed!”

There is that paradoxical mindset, isn’t there? Many people think shear will will be enough to endure the impact of chronic stress. Maybe for some lucky people that might be true, but for most, the pure physiology of stress catches up to them in time.

What is true is that your health and the quality of your life DO matter. How does stress affect health IS a big deal.

You can’t fix something that you can’t see.

How does stress affect health? Without judging yourself, or expecting yourself to be coping with stress differently overnight, give yourself an opportunity to just SEE if you find yourself in any of the following symptoms of stress:

Physical symptoms

  • Chronic headaches
  • Chronic back pain
  • Chronic muscle tension
  • Heart disease
  • Heart palpitations
  • Decreased immune function
  • Stress stomach problems
  • Sleep insomnia



Stress impacts all of who you are. It can impact your body, your emotions and your thoughts. Each of those parts of your self are of equal importance. How does stress affect the health of your thoughts and emotions?

Thoughts and emotional health

  • Anxiety attacks
  • Sense of being restless
  • More irritable
  • Depression symptoms
  • Feeling more insecure
  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Frequently forget things
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Worries a lot
I think it is pretty easy to notice the behaviors of someone who is stressed out. Those behaviors tend to feel more disrespectful or hurtful and will get your attention real quickly.

But, how aware are you of your own behaviors when you are stressed?

Do they change?

Take the coping with stress Free stress management survey to increase your awareness of how stress is impacting your life.

Another aspect of who you are is your spiritual part. In relationship to stress, I refer to spiritual health how congruent your actions and behaviors are in relationship to who you think you are as a person.

How does stress affect health of your behaviors?

  • Anger management issues
  • Need drugs or alcohol to cope
  • Smoke more often to cope
  • Increased social anxiety symptoms
  • Cry more often
  • Eating disorder to cope
  • More problems with relationships



There may be other underlying causes for some of these stress symptoms. But, coping with stress is so prevalent in our lives that it IS a big deal and it IS important to notice the impact it may be having on your life. Being choiceful about how to manage stress is powerful.

And, again…your life and quality of your health matter.

How does stress affect your health?





Share Your Stress Tips, or Ask Your Question

There is so much to learn and understand about how stress impacts our lives. If you have a question related to how stress might be impacting your life, please share it here.

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What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Is there a connection between stress management and spirituality?  Not rated yet
I like to think that I'm a very spiritual person. Yet, when I'm honest with myself, when I feel I'm stressing over things I feel as if it impacts my ...

Stressors that are life threatening many years agi  Not rated yet
What happens with stressors that are life threatening many years agi? Could they still be effecting me now? Tx

Very interesting question. My answer ...

How do a stress affect the quality of life?  Not rated yet
How do a stress affect the quality of life?


Thank you for your question, Yvonne. It is a good one. Acute stress, stress that is short-term, does ...

can u get ill from stress  Not rated yet
Can u get ill from stress? I have a friend who keeps telling me that I'm goin to get ill from all my stress. Can that happen?

Thanks for the question....

Does age impact on stress?  Not rated yet
I'm getting older (hate to admit that), and I'm wondering how does age impact on stress?


Hi Lori, thanks for the question. What we know about chronic ...

Stress questionnaire for old age?  Not rated yet
Is there such a thing as a stress questionnaire for old age? I'm curious whether what I am experiencing is due to age, or stress. Can you help?


Thank ...

Stress questionnaire  Not rated yet
Will taking your stress questionnaire help my stress?


Hi Joe, good question. The answer is, "Yes".

The reason is because one of my foundational ...

Actions of having stress?  Not rated yet
I haven't been acting like myself for awhile and am wondering how my stress is effecting my actions?


Good question, Larry. And, good self awareness!...







For more information, please see:

Control My Stress -- Let's work together to control your stress before it negatively affects your health.

Stress And Acne -- Strategies to combat stress and acne.

Stress Effects Body -- Stress effects body, or your life?

Stress Affect Your Overall Health -- What are the tips from your both when stress affect your overall health?

Stress And Chest Pain -- Stress and chest pain? Serious as a heart attack.

Does Stress Cause Grey Hair -- “You are giving me grey hair!” But, does stress cause grey hair?

Hives Stress -- Learn how you can treat hives stress yourself.

Stress And Back Pain -- Most effective top 3 strategies for managing stress and back pain.

Stress Questionnaire -- Take a stress questionnaire to “see” what you may be missing about YOU.

Return from How Does Stress Affect Health To Coping With Stress Home



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Stress Tip Of The Day!

It is the lack of balance that comes with chronic stress that creates so many problems for teenagers.

There is hope.

There are
teen stress management strategies that can help them cope with stress.




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Testimonials

“Ms. Churchill is the unique health care worker everyone hopes to encounter, but rarely does. She has an extraordinary gift that allows her to do much more than diagnose and treat.”
Abbie K. – Minneapolis




K., age 45, is a long term chronically PTSD disabled patient. She has had daily headaches for 20 years. Two weeks ago she reported that she had had 4 days of pain free time, and was having the exceedingly odd sensation of "smiling all the time". She and Cathi have made extraordinary fast progress together.
Dr. Cole




I referred C.L., age mid-forties, to see Cathi after a life of suffering the post traumatic stress disorder of parental sexual abuse over many years of her childhood, with major dysfunctions of alcohol and drug abuse, and with the disabling symptoms of migraine that have for more than twenty years become chronic.

She has lived with daily headaches that have not responded to any of the several drugs which have benefited many such suffering patients. She has needed chronic opiate treatment of her chronic pain syndrome.

In the few weeks that Cathi has worked with her, C.L. has begun to experience days without pain, periods of happiness, and a reduction in her opiate dosage requirements that represent a breakthrough in her stalled-out life as a single mom raising a teen-age daughter with only social security income resources.
Dr. Racer




“I first met Cathi Churchill eight years ago when she effectively helped my work unit through the stress of a hospital-wide layoff. I was impressed with her clear-minded approach and willingness to listen.”
Andy R.




N., age 60, is a hard driving attorney twenty year patient of mine who hit the wall with chronic fatigue four years ago, and began to realize she had to learn to rest. She recovered enough to return to her workaholic lifestyle when she was stopped by a herniated cervical disc and resumption of her chronic colitis.

Working with Cathi, she is discovering "the way she does life" and learning to make choices about it. She came in last week, having "danced until dawn". She is learning to dialogue with her body in effective ways.
Dr. Cole




“I stumbled upon Cathi after my recent heart attack that was brought on by stress. I was scared of having another one, and didn’t know what to do. I had lost hope. Working with her has changed my life. I’m so grateful."
Debbie – Canada




M.S., a woman in her late forties with progressively more and more disabling rheumatoid arthritis since childhood, whose most recent problems have arisen over the last two to three years as complications of immunosuppressive therapy for her disease. The complications have been associated with the severely disabling chronic pain of recurrent herpes neuralgia for more than three years, and for the past 15 months, recurrent osteomyelitis in her right lower mandible.

The second, more alarming (even life-threatening) problem has caused months of diagnostic and therapy confusion among her many consultants, three successive resections of the bone over the last six to eight months, and the still ongoing threat of more relapses of the smoldering bone infection and chronic pain only made bearable by chronic, massive doses of opiates.

In the few months since M. began to work with Cathi with several modalities: stress management, therapeutic touch, guided imaging, and others, her life has become more livable, as she has become able to bear the pain and the discouragement of unresolved disease.

She has relied on many of the methods for maintaining hope and getting through overwhelming discouragement by using the inner resources she has learned with Cathi.

My hope as her primary physician, is that Cathi and M. will be able to continue to work together to maintain that inner strength and hope as she faces yet more months of pain, and further repeated surgery.

Thank you for the healing guidance you've been able to give her thus far.
Dr. Racer




“I sought out the help of Cathi during my divorce, and found her to be an insightful and compassionate coach. Her ability to see deep into the heart of an emotionally stressful problem is, I believe, unique and I would highly recommend her service to anyone.”
P.R. – Brooklyn Center




S., age 48, is a Laotian patient of mine with 15 years of chronic abdominal pain. She has had an extensive medical worked up, and nothing ever worked. Cathi saw her over several months.

S. has improved! Cathi established a trusting relationship with her, and helped her to effectively break through her wall of silence and grief about her son's mental illness, and taught her how to "change her thinking".

S. now comes in smiling, notes some unusual continued symptoms, but no longer has chronic abdominal disabling pain.
Dr. Cole




“Control My Stress is so amazing. I want to thank you, again, for such a valuable resource.”
Tony.


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