What stress does to you
What can extreme or long-term stress do to your body, physically and mentally? Most people would be surprised just how much of an affect this type of stress can have on our bodies.
To assist Australians to build a picture, Lifeline Australia has created a simple diagram (available at http://www.stressdown.org.au/media), showing some of the possible ways your body can be
affected when exposed to prolonged or extreme stress.
“Some stress can be healthy, and can assist us to function at peak capacity,” Lifeline CEO Dawn O’Neil has said. “But extreme or prolonged stress can have a detrimental affect on our physical
and mental wellbeing.
“Stress can have an impact on almost every part of the body. The sort of extreme or prolonged stress caused by traumatic events or long term work pressures can sometimes cause serious issues
for our bodies.”
Stress can exacerbate mental health issues like depression, anxiety, insomnia and moods swings. It can be a cause of back pain, and tension, bad skin, and stomach cramps. It can affect our appetite, our reproductive systems and reduce our immunity against things like the cold and flu.
A recent poll by Newspoll for Lifeline Australia showed that 41% of Australians are experiencing high, unhealthy levels of stress.
“We have found that two in every five Australians are experiencing levels of stress that is potentially harmful. This stress is resulting, according to the poll, from work, finances, health, thoughts of the future and personal relationship pressures,” O’Neil said.
“Around seventy percent of people who call Lifeline are experiencing high levels of psychological distress. So that’s why Lifeline is urging the country to look honestly at their own stress levels and
work towards good stress management early, before it becomes a more serious problem.
“Next Friday (24th) we are asking the country to ‘stress down’ and taka a day off from stress. Prevention can sometimes be the best way to reduce the impact of stress on our bodies.
“So wear your slippers to work or school on the 24th, eat well and try and do some exercise. These are real tangible things we can all do, to help us manage our stress levels.”
For more information, go to http://www.stressdown.org.au or text the word ‘stressdown’ to 0485 4RELAX.
