Stress is a word that we hear often. Whether it be stress from work, family, relationships, finances or anywhere else – we’ve all experienced and will experience feeling stressed at some point in life. It’s the body’s natural response to anything we perceive to be threatening or challenging and is ultimately a key natural instinct to our survival – that’s the “fight or flight” mode kicking in.
However, extreme or chronic (sustained) stress can be extremely harmful to our mental and psychical well being, and there are proven links between stress and illness, or a person’s ability to fight disease.
When we’re stressed, our body releases hormones that would be useful in a threatening situation – those that boost energy, curb functions that are non-essential during fight or flight situations and control mood, motivation and fear. The primary stress hormones are called adrenaline and cortisol. After a period of stress, your hormones go back to normal levels, and your body returns to its regular function – such as blood pressure and heart rate returning to their normal baseline.
With chronic or extreme stress, however, hormone levels don’t have a chance to go back to normal and the stress hormones can disrupt your body’s natural rhythm and processes. Effects of sustained stress on the body can be extensive, but some symptoms might include:
- Fatigue
- Mental health issues such as anxiety, panic attacks or depression
- Sleep problems
- High blood pressure
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Changes in the menstrual cycle
- Exacerbation of existing health problems
- Chest pains
It’s no secret that we are living through extremely stressful times, and feeling stressed – sometimes to the extreme – seems to be more common than ever. For this reason, we believe it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your stress and the symptoms that come with it, and Dr Finlay’s is able to help.
At Dr Finlay’s, we operate with an integrated approach to health. This means looking at your full picture of health to understand what’s going on, treat and create sustainable plans for the future of your health. We know that mental and physical health are closely intertwined, and treat each patient with the knowledge that true well being comes from nurturing all areas of health.
If you are struggling with stress – whether that be mentally or the physical symptoms of it – our experienced practitioners can help. Our doctors are experienced in dealing with mental health and can identify impact on psychical health from a mental health source, and our psychologists can provide a bespoke plan of therapy – if wanted or needed – to tackle stress and broad spectrum of other issues (such as trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, bereavement and more) at their cause
We also understand that stress can have differing effects on women and men, and have specialists in women’s or men’s health to support you if needed.
To arrange a consultation with one of our doctors or psychologists, get in touch via our website or by giving the team a call on 0121 3961323.