Don't Let Stress Cause Depression
PTSD: what every person should know
The effects of stress and conflict on the mind can cause something we're noticing more and more of: depression. When a person is depressed, they'll often find themselves in low moods for long periods of time where they just don't feel like getting up from bed or going outside. That's when it's important to remember that even though you may be feeling down, your physical mind can help combat this sadness by taking a short break from all the stressors in life.
Stress can be a great motivator in life, but have you ever felt the stress that occurs in your mind can cause depression? If you're interested in learning more about the effects of stress on your mind, feel free to read on. We'll talk about what exactly causes stress and what you can do to help yourself again from it.
But first...
What is Stress?
Stress is known as one of the most powerful motivators that we know of. It's also a major reason why we do things every day and why some people are able to accomplish many tasks in a short amount of time.
The brain is made up of millions of neurons, which are the nerve cells that allow you to think and remember. When an event occurs it sends a signal to the brain for the person to react to it. This reaction can often be as simple as blinking your eyes, but it can also be something like punching a wall or running away from a dog in order to defend yourself.
This is extremely important because if you can imagine what would happen when the only way you could fight off the attacker was by punching yourself in the face, then you can understand why stress is dangerous. Inability to control yourself while in a stressful situation like this could lead to early death or serious bodily harm (i.e., broken bones).
So what does stress do to the brain?
When dealing with stressful events like the ones mentioned above, your brain will first release adrenaline (a hormone) into your blood stream and this causes a "fight or flight" reaction. This means that you'll become mentally alert, but at the same time extremely terrified of what's going on. This is why most people start screaming or crying when they're in intense situations like car accidents. It's all just an instinctual reaction that makes you think about survival more than anything else.
The stress-induced adrenaline stimulates the release of chemicals such as norepinephrine and dopamine into your bloodstream. These chemicals are responsible for keeping you awake and alert and make you more likely to perform tasks that require your attention.
However, these same chemicals can also cause a person's blood pressure to rise, heart rate to increase and blood sugar level to plummet. If a person isn't able to maintain these vital levels of energy, a large part of their physical health will begin to suffer as well. This is why stress plays such an important role in how we age physically over time.
Now that we know what stress does physically in the body what causes it? The answer is simple: something stressful was just experienced.
The Effects of Stress on the Body
So how does stress affect our psychology?
When a stressful situation occurs all you need to do is think back to it. Then, imagine an event happening again in your life. This can be just about anything, including work stressors, relationship problems or even life-threatening situations like war or natural disasters. Your brain will recall the reactions that it experienced at the time of the stressful event and will then make you feel that way again when you think about it. You'll feel anxious, irritated and hopeless for a moment (similar to how we described in the paragraph above). The momentary absence of all emotions after this kind of recollection is referred to as depersonalization.
Depersonalization
Depersonalization (DP) is a feeling of detachment from reality with few or no emotions. This can often mean that you're not feeling any emotions at all. That's why people who are experiencing DP may find themselves in a sort of 'zombie-like' state where they don't feel the things that should be experienced during that time.
Someone who is experiencing stress is going to want to do anything and everything to get rid of it. This means going after the source of their problems, whether that's a person or thing causing them harm. Once this has been accomplished, then they'll feel much better because they'll finally have some rest time before another stressful situation comes up again.
For example, if a person has just lost all of their money because someone stole it from them, then they'll want to get it back or find comfort in another way. This could mean getting another job that pays more money, getting a small loan from friends or family, or even purchasing things on credit (which is extremely risky).
Another common way you can stop stress from affecting you is by going to the gym and working out. This not only helps with your physical health and aging, but also releases endorphins (a chemical responsible for making people happy). They'll help improve your mental health as well. Those who workout regularly will find themselves becoming less stressed and depressed over time as well. This is because of how much exercise you'll do which will make your heart stronger and more healthy to overcome the effects of stress.
Eating healthier foods can also reduce stress in the body, but it's important to eat the right ones. While a meal caused by anger (i.e., a sugary dessert) may help you catch up on sleep, it also increases your likelihood of incurring a heart attack or gaining weight as well.
What happens if stress becomes chronic?
If you continue to experience severe amounts of stress for long periods of time, then your body will begin to reject any new stressful situations that come along into your life. This can lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and even anxiety.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is usually caused by an event that took place during a war, natural disaster or any other stressful situation that causes a person to go through physical, emotional or sexual abuse. People who experience this type of stress will relive the experience again and again because their brain won't let go of the fear it experienced back then. For example, a rape victim will often see and feel their attacker ready to do it again whenever they're alone at night. Their brain reinforces these memories over time which leads to PTSD.
Panic attacks are pretty much the same, just in smaller doses as well. They're caused by something that happens to you in the moment which causes you to feel intense fear for a moment before it passes. This feeling is so overwhelming that it can cause severe stress on your brain and body. For example, if you were at work and witnessed a coworker having a heart attack one day, then this would be the cause of your first panic attack. After that, you'd probably start thinking about it more often which only makes things worse over time. Eventually, your brain will accept this as something that's normal and will continue to do so every time you're in a stressful situation.
Anxiety is one of the worst things to experience because it makes you feel as if your body and mind aren't really at home. The only thing that keeps you from feeling this way all the time is the drugs or therapy that you take. The problem here is that these drugs are able to shut off inflammation in your brain permanently which means they're not good for you long-term.
So what's the alternative?
The best way to cure stress and its effects on your body is through mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). This type of relaxation therapy teaches people how to mindfully accept whatever situation may be causing them stress in their life and then let it go again.