Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTypesImpactTreatmentHow to Deal

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Types

Impact

Treatment

How to Deal

Close

Chronic stress occurs when the body experiencesstressorswith such frequency or intensity that theautonomic nervous systemdoes not have an adequate chance to activate therelaxation responseon a regular basis. This means that the body remains in a constant state of physiological arousal.

This affects virtually every system in the body, either directly or indirectly. People were built to handle acute stress, which is short-lived, but not chronic stress, which is steady over a long period of time. In order to beginmanaging chronic stress, it is important to understand what it is, what may be causing it, and how it affects the entire body.

Acute Stress Disorder—What to Know About This Intense Stress After Trauma

What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Stress?

Chronic stress affects both the mind and body. It produces both physical and psychological symptoms that can take a toll on a person’s ability to function normally in their daily life.

These symptoms can vary in their severity from one person to the next. Some of the most common signs of chronic stress include:

How Do I Know If I Have Chronic Stress?It isn’t always easy to recognize chronic stress. Because it is pervasive and long-lasting, people often grow so accustomed to it that it begins to feel normal. Some signs to look for when identifying chronic stress:Are you often moody or irritated?Does it feel like you are always worrying about something?Does it seem like you don’t have time to take care of yourself or do the things that you enjoy?Do the smallest inconveniences seem like too much to handle?Do you always seem to catch colds or get infections?Have you been relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol to manage your stress?

How Do I Know If I Have Chronic Stress?

It isn’t always easy to recognize chronic stress. Because it is pervasive and long-lasting, people often grow so accustomed to it that it begins to feel normal. Some signs to look for when identifying chronic stress:Are you often moody or irritated?Does it feel like you are always worrying about something?Does it seem like you don’t have time to take care of yourself or do the things that you enjoy?Do the smallest inconveniences seem like too much to handle?Do you always seem to catch colds or get infections?Have you been relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol to manage your stress?

It isn’t always easy to recognize chronic stress. Because it is pervasive and long-lasting, people often grow so accustomed to it that it begins to feel normal. Some signs to look for when identifying chronic stress:

Does Stress Cause Grey or White Hair?

This type of chronic stress response occurs all too frequently from our modern lifestyle. Everything from high-pressured jobs tolonelinesstobusy trafficcan keep the body in a state of the perceived threat and chronic stress.

In this case, ourfight-or-flight response, which was designed to help us fight occasional life-threatening situations (like swerving to nearly miss a car crash), can wear down our bodies and cause us to become ill, either physically or emotionally.

Estimates suggest that between 60—80% of primary care visits involve a stress-related component.That’s why it is so important to learn stress management techniques and makehealthy lifestylechanges to safeguard yourself from the negative impact of chronic stress.

Types of Chronic Stress

Sources of chronic stress can vary, but often fall into one of four different types:

In many instances, these types of stresses affect multiple domains in a person’s life. Work stress can create stress in your relationships. Relationship stress can make it more difficult to manage difficult emotions.

What Is an Example of Chronic Stress?If your family is struggling financially or with a severe illness, the stress can become chronic. Someone in your home may not be able to work, bills are piling up, and your home is nearing foreclosure, and this can leave you stressed for months or even a year or more.

What Is an Example of Chronic Stress?

If your family is struggling financially or with a severe illness, the stress can become chronic. Someone in your home may not be able to work, bills are piling up, and your home is nearing foreclosure, and this can leave you stressed for months or even a year or more.

Your constant worry wears down your body, making you feel tired and anxious.You may be working harder than ever to make ends meetand make unhealthy choices about food and exercise, which can make you feel even worse. This can lead to a number of significant health concerns.

We can also have chronic stress related to work. Many jobs require a lot from us, and it can often feel like you never get a break or arealways under pressure to perform.

Working overtime, constant travel, and high-pressure business relations can keep your body in a constant state of excitement, even when you get home to your family. This can also add to the wear and tear on your body, and continuous stress can contribute to serioushealth issues like heart disease.

What Is Toxic Stress?

Because chronic stress is so prolonged, it can have a detrimental impact on your health and well-being if left untreated. Some potential complications related to chronic stress include:

Finding ways to manage chronic stress is important for overall well-being. This may involve professional treatment, but self-help and relaxation strategies can also often be effective.

Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain: What’s the Difference?

If severe chronic stress is causing significant distress or impairing your ability to function normally, professional treatment can help you develop new coping skills and find ways to lower your stress levels. Options include:

‘Why Is Life So Hard?’ How to Cope When You Feel This Way

How Do You Deal With Chronic Stress?

Chronic stress can often be managed through self-help approaches. It is important tobegin using stress management techniquesas early as possible when you recognize chronic stress in your life. This works for a few reasons.

If you have tried self-help strategies and feel you need more assistance, or if you feel these will not be enough to help, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor about your concerns. Effective help is available.

The 7 Best Online Anxiety Support Groups

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nerurkar A, Bitton A, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Yeh G.When physicians counsel about stress: Results of a national study.JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(1):76-77. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.480American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nerurkar A, Bitton A, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Yeh G.When physicians counsel about stress: Results of a national study.JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(1):76-77. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.480American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Nerurkar A, Bitton A, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Yeh G.When physicians counsel about stress: Results of a national study.JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(1):76-77. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.480American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

Nerurkar A, Bitton A, Davis RB, Phillips RS, Yeh G.When physicians counsel about stress: Results of a national study.JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(1):76-77. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.480

American Psychological Association.Stress effects on the body.

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?