Stress Could Be The Culprit Behind Your Health Issues
Stress, in small doses, can be extremely beneficial to our productivity, performance, safety, and health. It enables us to focus on a demanding task, set a personal record in a 100-meter sprint, hit the brakes to avoid an accident, and even fight off a pesky cold. But when stress sticks around for too long, it can wreak havoc on our mental and physical well-being.
Reflecting upon my college years, I realized that I had spent too much of that time burdened by stress. It nearly wove itself into my very personality. This is just how I’m wired, I would think. In reality, external forces — a challenging course load, athletic aspirations, a yet unplanned future — and my methods of facing them led to chronic stress. I found myself experiencing several seemingly unconnected symptoms that I later discovered were brought on by that constant worrying and struggle for control.