How Stress Wreaks Havoc on Your Body (And What You Can Do About It)

Stress is something that we are all, unfortunately, familiar with. Stressors can stem from any number of places — from your personal life, workplace, relationships, finances, and countless other sources. Many of us are also experiencing heightened levels of stress due to the daily challenges from COVID-19. But no matter what's causing your stress, it's almost certainly impacting your overall body and health negatively. 

According to the American Psychological Association, multiple studies have proven that "long-term or chronic stress, through too much wear and tear, can ravage the immune system." When you experience stress, it can have some adverse effects on the rest of your body, and it can even weaken its defense against harmful infections. Especially during this time, it's incredibly important to keep your immune function performing at its best to stay healthy. 

While experiencing stress may be inevitable, there are a few important strategies you can implement into your life to reduce the impact of stress on your body while prioritizing your health and well-being.

How to Reduce Stress and Increase Your Immune Function

Self-Care

Maintaining proper care of your body is one of the simplest ways to reduce your stress levels and improve your overall health. Although it may seem like an obvious choice, it can be quite difficult to choose healthier options during periods of stress, making it easier to fall into bad habits or make unhealthy choices. By prioritizing a healthy lifestyle, you'll ensure that your body has all the basics it needs to run as smoothly as possible. 

Remember to:

• Eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet. 
• Keep yourself properly hydrated throughout the day.
• Establish a routine of quality, restful sleep.
• Stay active with light exercise (walking, yoga, dancing, etc.).

Stress Management

Because it's not always possible to avoid stressful situations, incorporating some stress management techniques into your everyday life can be helpful in either reducing that stress or regulating how it affects you. 

To reduce the impact of stress on your mind and body:

• Put a relaxation technique into practice, like a deep breathing exercise or meditation.
• Make time for the activities that you enjoy and help you to unwind.
• Make time for social interaction with friends and family — even if it's just a phone call or a virtual hangout due to responsible social distancing measures.

Evaluate Your Health with Thermography

While improving self-care and stress management techniques are strategies that everyone can ultimately benefit from, it can also be useful to analyze what's truly going on inside the body. If you had the ability to identify problem areas within your own body — and even had the chance to prevent potential diseases from appearing later on — why wouldn't you?

Thermography can give you precisely that information. It's a non-invasive medical screening process that can detect certain warning signs (like inflammation within the body), of health concerns that could later turn into a more serious disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, or cancer. Because a thermography screening can pinpoint these abnormalities within the body before they manifest as a disease, it's often used as a preventative measure that can help identify where you may need extra care to avoid a more serious health problem in the future.

When left un-managed, stress can have some very serious repercussions against your body's immune system and your overall health. Some of the best strategies to prioritize your well-being, despite experiencing stress, include proper self-care, stress management techniques, and evaluating your health with the help of thermography. If you or a loved one are interested in learning more about your body and how you can improve your wellness, contact us today.