Fight or flight: How stress can affect our bodies

MANILA, Philippines – Tight deadlines, never-ending paperwork or paying sky-rocketing bills can all cause stress. Relationships, school, day-to-day activities and even our own thoughts can stress us out as well.

Stress is a part of life. Whether it is leading a presentation before top management, having lost a loved one or going on an exhilarating adventure, one way or another we will feel stressed out even for just a few minutes.

The effects of stress go beyond headaches, sleepless nights and cravings.

When we constantly feel stressed out, it takes a toll on our physical appearance as it slows down cell regeneration and gives us dull looking skin. It also depletes our body of vitamins and minerals essential to functioning everyday. Notice that when going through a highly stressful situation, we tend to look fatigued more than the usual and our sleeping patterns are disrupted.

But our bodies can only take so much. It is a fact that stress affects our mood, behavior, productivity and overall health. In handling or coping with stress, we turn to food for comfort, listen to music, go to a quiet place to regroup ourselves or have a drink or two with friends.

Another effective way not many are aware of would be to take a multivitamin at the onset of stress, not when it’s already being experienced. This enables us to look good and feel good as we continue to battle stress.

However, there are more serious effects of stress, which is why awareness and a better understanding of how it can affect our bodies is needed. Get to know more about stress and its effects on our body with the infographic below.