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The Effects of Stress

Stress has an effect on your body, your mind, and even your spirit.

You may not realize it, but chronic stress can take away much of the joy of being human. Pat has studied the effects of stress on the body, mind, and spirit. She lists signs and symptoms here so you can do a self-check on how stress might be affecting your life.   

Most of us become so accustomed to the toll stress takes on our bodies that we no longer recognize the signals our bodies are sending us. We think, “That’s just the way life is, and this is just the way I am supposed to feel.” We don’t know that we have a choice and that we can do something to feel better!

Take a look at these lists of the physical responses to stress. If you can’t identify your responses easily, you may need to be more aware of how you feel when you experience stress—physically and emotionally—before you recognize the connection between stress and your physical, emotional, and mental reactions.

None of us experiences all of these different types of reactions—thank goodness. But your body may respond with a combination of these physical, emotional, and intellectual effects.

Take a look for yourself:

• The body’s responses to stress: how stress can affect your heart, digestion, and immune system.

• The mind’s responses to stress: forgetfulness, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of chronic stress.

• The spirit’s responses to stress: yes, stress can affect your vitality, enthusiasm, and ability to feel joy in life.