The Negative Impacts of Stress Chances are you’ve experienced stress before. From work to your personal life, there are many factors that can lead to stress. Stress can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Common stressors among Warfighters include deployment, permanent change of station (PCS) and exposure to traumatic situations. You may also experience physical and emotional stressors. As a Warfighter, you can be exposed to more stressful situations than the general population; therefore, recognizing how your job may impact your physical and mental health, family, finances and other areas of your life is important. Awareness can influence how you cope and adjust to stressful circumstances. Physical and Medical Impacts Stress impacts every system in your body. This includes your musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous and reproductive systems. Your body will likely show you warning signs when you experience stress. You may notice chronic stress shows up through physical symptoms. As some say, the body keeps the score. The sooner you recognize and address the stress and its impact, the more likely you are to reduce its negative physical and medical impacts. Musculoskeletal When you experience stress, you may notice your muscles tense up. This happens to protect you from injury and pain. With acute stress, your muscles are able to release and relax after the stressor has passed. With chronic stress, you may experience long-lasting tension and pain. For example, tension headaches occur when you experience chronic stress and tension in your head and neck muscles. As a Warfighter, you are at increased risk for musculoskeletal injury and thereby, more physical stressors. Respiratory This system is responsible for bringing oxygen to your cells and removing carbon dioxide waste from the body. It includes every organ involved in breathing. When stressed, you might experience shortness of breath or rapid breathing. If you live with a chronic respiratory condition, it may worsen with both acute and chronic stress. Cardiovascular When you experience acute stress, such as giving a presentation or avoiding an accident while driving, your heart rate increases and stress hormones are released. When you experience chronic stress or repeated acute stress, you have increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), heart attack and stroke. Endocrine This system controls the production of hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which are involved with boosting energy and alertness in order to respond to the stressor. With chronic stress, or high exposure to fight-or-flight situations, prolonged high levels of cortisol have been linked to inflammation, fatigue, depression and suppressed immune functioning. Gastrointestinal (GI) You may recognize GI stress when you feel “butterflies” or an upset stomach during stressful situations such as meeting someone new or performing new job duties. It may also present as discomfort, bloating or stomach pain. Nervous You may have heard of the fight-flight-freeze-or-fawn response; the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is responsible for providing a physical response to stressors. This system signals the body to release adrenaline and cortisol. Once the crisis is over, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), also known as the ‘rest and digest’ system, restores your body to its normal processes. With chronic stress, your body likely overuses these systems, which can cause added stress to other organs. Reproductive Chronic stress negatively impacts this system differently in men and women. For men, excess levels of cortisol can reduce testosterone and sperm production. It can also change sperm’s ability to swim, and its shape and size. For women, menstrual cycles may be affected (e.g., absent, irregular, abnormal length and painful periods). It can also negatively impact conception, pregnancy and postpartum. Emotional and Mental Impacts When you are stressed, you may notice you experience different or unpleasant emotions and thoughts. For example, you may feel overwhelmed, anxious or irritable compared to your normal emotional state. It may also seem harder to make decisions, concentrate and remember conversations or experiences. Short-term emotional and mental impacts may subside once the stressor is removed, whereas chronic impacts may lead to prolonged unhealthy feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Chronic stress increases your likelihood of developing a mental health disorder like depression and anxiety. As a Warfighter, you may be exposed to more acute and chronic stressors than the general population. Check in with yourself frequently to ensure you are identifying any shifts in your emotional or mental state and responding in a healthy way. A strong mind is just as important as a strong body. Did You Know? Not all stress is bad! Eustress, also known as ‘good stress’, comes from exciting stress from experiences and positive challenges. For example, going on theme park rides, watching scary movies, engaging in fitness challenges and learning a new hobby. There are many ways stress can negatively impact the body and mind. Stay in tune with your body and alert to the signs in order to strengthen your response. Both acute and chronic stress can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as over- or undereating, substance use (e.g., alcohol and drugs), gambling, self-harm, etc. If you notice you are negatively responding to stress with unsafe or unhealthy behaviors, seek professional help – reach out to your health care provider, chaplain or command leadership. Additional ResourcesMilitary OneSource - “Managing Stress”Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ReferencesAmerican Psychological Association - “Stress effects on the body”Cleveland Clinic - “Emotional Stress: Warning Signs, Management, When to Get Hel”Mayo Clinic - “Stress management”
