#chronic stress

[mindblowingscience]

Financial strain can impact far more than just a person's mental health. A nationally representative study from the United Kingdom has found evidence that stress over money is tied to long-term changes in key health markers, including those associated with the immune system, the nervous system, and the hormonal system.

Continue Reading.

#Science #Health #Epidemiology #Finances #Chronic Stress

[bitchesgetriches]

Listen to the small warning signs, because you’ll die of the big ones

Piggy actually likes to run. I don’t get it either. Some people just like tedious and hateful activities, I guess! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Guess what happened when Piggy pushed herself too hard and ran every day? She got a stress injury. And after a thorough scolding from her doctor, she now has “rest days” where she doesn’t push her body in the same way that she pushed it the day before.

Your brain works the same way without a vacation. When confronted with a stressful situation, your brain’s sympathetic autonomic nervous system kicks into gear. It raises your heart rate, constricts your blood vessels, and prepares you for a classic “fight or flight” responses. When the danger has passed, your parasympathetic system is supposed to send a reversal signal that relaxes those physical stress responses. But a chronically stressed person might not get the parasympathetic “girl chill” response as often as they get the sympathetic “oh-shit-oh-shit” response. And it can lead to disastrous health consequences.

Chronic stress increases our risk of heart and vascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It also taxes our immune systems and makes us more susceptible to infections. These are life-threatening conditions and we feed our risk of contracting them by putting ourselves into perennially stressful situations.

If you know that stress makes you cranky, or weepy, or prone to overeating, or unable to sleep at night, you would be wise to honor those early signs and take a breather. Because the later warning signs are diseases that might well kill you.

- Why You Should Take a Break: The Importance of Rest and Relaxation

#self care #stress #chronic stress #mental health

[safe-haven-safe-place]

#mental health #recovery #healing #dissociation #childhood trauma #trauma recovery #cptsd recovery #chronic stress #overwhelmed #survival mode #emotional dysregulation

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

another anti-psych post from your neighborhood patient-therapist

In my last post I talked about the kinds of basic needs people and communities have, and asked what it might look like in your community to meet those needs as a baseline. This time we're going to talk more about what happens when communities and individuals are chronically un-/under-served.

Okay so let's break it down this way. We're gonna try looking at just one medical symptom of chronic stress: autonomic dysregulation. It's not going to feel like we are, but I promise that's all we're doing. This is a *serious* symptom and it often comes clustered with others due to the way it functions within the body, which is why I think it is a useful case study here. Autonomic dysfunction, especially chronic dysfunction, can temporarily (though for long spans of time if the dysfunction remains chronic rather than acute) alter the functioning of other systems within the body such as the endocrine system, the reproductive system, cognitive functioning through the hippocampus and amygdala, and muscle functioning, nerve functioning, and others. It is no joke to suggest that long term autonomic dysfunction can often lead to major long term health consequences that are life altering for the person experiencing them. While some can be treated, managed, or even cured, not all can be and this is something I want us all to keep in mind as we consider the need for building communities that do not cause this kind of harm to their people.

Let's look at some potential medical outcomes of autonomic dysfunction, per the Mayo Clinic:

Dizziness and fainting when standing, caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination, loss of bladder control, difficulty sensing a full bladder and inability to completely empty the bladder. Not being able to completely empty the bladder can lead to urinary tract infections.

Sexual difficulties, including problems achieving or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) or ejaculation problems. In women, problems include vaginal dryness, low libido and difficulty reaching orgasm.

Difficulty digesting food, such as feeling full after a few bites of food, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing and heartburn. These problems are all due to changes in digestive function.

Inability to recognize low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), because the warning signals, such as getting shaky, aren't there.

Sweating problems, such as sweating too much or too little. These problems affect the ability to regulate body temperature.

Sluggish pupil reaction, making it difficult to adjust from light to dark and seeing well when driving at night.

Exercise intolerance, which can occur if your heart rate stays the same instead of adjusting to your activity level.

Some common comorbid conditions may include Diabetes, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Parkinson's, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or an autoimmune disorder. In each of these cases I want you to remember the lens of an individual body being denied, in some way, its base needs (an edocrine hormone, a nutritional component, the internal security of homeostasis, etc), to such an extent that it begins to experience an internal catastrophic failure, as this lens may often be supportive of accommodating your disabled comrades, or yourself, in the future.

I also want us to consider some common social statistics relevant to these conditions. Nearly 4% of the world experiences and autoimmune disorder. Most are women, and Indigenous, Black, and Latina women are at risk than most for several of these. In the United States, there are suspected to be 37.3 million people with diabetes. Diabetes is also considered an autoimmune disorder by researchers, and is one that the Indigenous, Filipino, Indian, Latine, and Black communities are all at higher risk for than white people are, however, risk is also heavily influenced by poverty, and by a family's location with respect to food deserts which grow more and more common. In a truly wild statistic, 80% of lesbians versus 32% of heterosexual women had polycystic ovaries in one study, and 33% of lesbians versus 14% of heterosexual women had progressed to PCOS. Some studies find that transmasculine folks are more likely to PCOS as well.

When we consider the marginalization these groups experience, and the way that marginalization plays out in the social forum, the political forum, in the financial forum, and in the emotional forum, are we really surprised to learn that it plays out in the embodied forum too?

This is what people mean when they talk about social murder. These are health conditions that don't just change lives, they end them. A system that churns out people so chronically sick that their bodies are desperately killing themselves trying to stay alive is a society that has become desperately sick. Diabetes is something we have attributed to individuals, to families, and even every once in a while to corporations, but at what point have we sat down and looked at a society that produces this murderous autoimmune disorder at such high rates and asked the real question: how are we making so many people sick?

The answers are many, and that can feel overwhelming, but I encourage you to start in one place and learn your way around it as well as you can before you even consider moving on. Maybe start with food deserts. They're probably familiar to you, you've heard about them in passing before I imagine, even if you're not really too into this stuff. But ask yourself WHY food deserts are able to exist? What are the mechanics of one being born? How does one stay free from the stain of a grocery store or food market? Are there any places like that near you? If so, what points of leverage might there be in that location for you to break the homeostasis of the food desert? How can you add your weight to efforts already occurring, or stir up sentiment around the idea of a new homeostasis where a grocery store exists? Can you put up flyers or attend town hall meetings? Can you knock doors or phone bank? Can you bring some sugar by your neighbors and comment how frustrating it is you all have to go so far to get your groceries and wonder what's up with that and maybe start scheming together? What kind of store should it be? Bring in a local market? A chain? Build a co-op or merchant's stalls for a four season farmer's market?

Get really into one idea, and get others in on it with you. I bet you aren't the only one who'd like a better status quo.

#anti-psych #chronic stress #food deserts #this one is still fuzzy i may come back to it

[urloveangel]

what if… you’re not lazy, broken, wrong, not good enough, unmotivated, flaky, emotionless but your brain is still recovering from chronic stress and childhood trauma and is relearning how to regulate and sustain your serotonin and dopamine levels, and process your emotions and responses… WHAT IF

#realizing and processing stuff #like sometimes I still feel like I have to on purpose volume up what I actually feel internally to really feel it and #then show it externally #I don’t know how to explain it exactly #but it can be so uncomfortable but then that’s one of the ways I can relearn that it’s safe to feel and express these emotions….. #🙈 #there are so many aspects to it #motivation and drive to do things can be a struggle too #so often my mind and body Jusf want to go into the hiding shutdown freeze mode #it’s really all about creating safe space for myself and seeing myself and all the parts tjay want to hide #like actively seeing and supporting myself #and being my friend lover partner parent #❤️ #self healing #healing journey #trauma #mental health #stress #chronic stress #anxiety #depression #self love #self care #spirituality #inner child #mine #spiritual healing #energy work #inner work #surrender

[deprixpainsblog]

Mein Ziel: das ich nächste woche gar nicht mehr aufwache oder sogar nur im Krankenhaus bin.

Damit ich diese Scheise was alle von mir erwarten nicht machen muss!

#depressing life #thoughts #depressiv #mentally fucked #ptbs #einsam #actually mentally ill #chronic suicidality #chronic stress #depressing quotes #this is depressing #suizigedanken #suizidversuch #suizidgefährdet #suic1de #suisside

[guardianspirits13]

One thing I think some of y'all need to hear more of is that it is ok to treat yourself.

The world can be a horrible place-let's be honest, it kind of is a horrible place, perpetually. People are in pain, people are starving, people are being robbed of basic life priveleges on the daily.

But you know all this. You, average tumblr user, are aware of all of the horrific things going on and have at the very least internally acknowleged them. Maybe you've voiced support, or reblogged a link to support a cause you care about. Hell, maybe you've even given your own money to a cause or attended a protest or contacted a representative.

And that is more than the average person, and you should be proud of yourself for that.

But unless your name starts with "E" and ends with "lon Musk" or something of the sort, you have no moral recompense to give beyond your attention and compassion. You did not cause this, and you cannot fix it.

Which brings me to my main point: it is ok to spend time, money, and energy on completely frivolous things with no benefit other than your own enjoyment. It is good, even! "Dumb" or "pointless" things that make you happy, if even for a moment, are worthy of a few bucks.

It's easy to fall into a trap of despair, of feeling like you must deny yourself everything for the guilt of someone starving halfway across the world, and while I would be inclined to commend you for your empathy, your guilt will not save them.

Yes, donate if you can. But it helps nobody if your mental health plummets you into inaction.

For every $5 you spend on an ice cream cone or a stim toy or a cool pen, there are millions of dollars collecting dust in the bank accounts of billionaires who could change the world but refuse to.

So take a warm bath. Eat a healthy meal. Buy yourself that thing you've been eyeing at the store. And maybe once you have prioritized yourself, you can return to your advocacy with a renewed spirit.

#thanks yall if you read this much #treat yourself #self care #world news #politics #climate change #stress #chronic stress #reminder #treat yo self #jess's thoughts

[studentbyday]

sometimes i wonder if i'm depressed but then i remember this is just regular school stress 🙃🥲

#high functioning depression #high functioning anxiety #chronic stress #highly sensitive person #studyblr #studyspo #i think i will sleep now #i need some peace and quiet #words thrown at the wall

[art-crumbs-main]

Hello, Tumblr.

#shitpost #mental health #mental illness #stay safe #you got this #chronic stress #anxiety

[traumatizedjaguar]

I learned some pretty cool things from his speeches

#actually traumatized #actually cptsd #actually abused #tw cptsd #c ptsd #complex ptsd #cptsd recovery #cptsd life #complex trauma #chronic illness #chronic stress #chronically ill #anger issues #actually mentally ill #Youtube #videos

[thepursuitofunderstanding]

Excerpt’s from Gabor Maté’s ‘When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress,’ pages 194-231.

- “The less the emotional capacity for self-regulation develops infancy and childhood, the more the adult depends on the relationships to maintain homeostasis. The greater the dependence, the greater the threat when those relationships are lost or become insecure.” pg 197

- “One learns love not by instruction, but by being loved.” pg 202

- “Future relationships will have as their templates nerve circuits laid down in our relationships with our earliest caregivers. We will understand ourselves as we have felt understood, love ourselves as we perceived being loved on the deepest unconscious levels, care for ourselves with as much compassion as, at our core, we perceived as young children.” pg 207

- “Blame becomes a meaningless concept if one understands how family history stretches back through the generations.” pg 216

- “The central issue is the unintentional transmission of stress and anxiety across the generations.” pg 217

- “As Hans Selye pointed out, the unacknowledged assumptions of the scientist will often limit and define what will be discovered. Settling for the view that illness, mental or physical, are primarily genetic allows us to avoid disturbing questions about the nature of the society in which we live. If “science” enables us to ignore poverty or man-made toxins or a frenetic and stressful social culture as contributors to disease, we can look only to simple answers: pharmacological and biological. Such an approach helps to justify and preserve prevailing social values and structures. It may also be profitable.” pg 229

- “Stress is the result of an interaction between a stressor and a processing system. That processing apparatus is the human nervous system, operating under the influence of the brain’s emotional centres. The biology of belief inculcated in that processing apparatus early in life crucially influences our stress responses throughout our lives.” pg 231

#gabor maté #mate #quotes #life #wisdom #philosophy #psychology #idea #ideas #when the body says no #the cost of hidden stress #illness #stress #chronic stress #author #books #book #write #writing #writer

[safe-haven-safe-place]

Your life story gets written into your nervous system:

@amandaontherise

#mental health #recovery #healing #stress response #stress #anxiety #survival mode #chronic stress #nervous system response #nervous system dysregulation

[anthropologistfromentropy]

This is EXACTLY what I struggle with. Definitely needed this reminder today. Damn

How chronic stress changes your brain. Making it harder to problem solve. Having less dopamine, less motivation and persistency. Tendency for apathy and learned helplessness.

Yeah, that's my daily struggle :/

(Obviously this applies to any chronic stress. I'm white and Finnish lol)

#chronic stress #stress #neuroscience #neurobiology #psychology #trauma #childhood trauma #motivation #executive dysfunction #apathy #learned helplessness #depression #adhd #adult adhd #actually adhd #cptsd problems #actually cptsd #neuroplasticity #racism

[deprixpainsblog]

Leute, ich kann mich nicht selber akzeptieren. Ich hasse jedes einzelne teil von mir,…ich will nicht mehr leben, von mir aus wache ich morgen nicht mehr auf! Bzw is mir das lieber! Als hier noch zu sein,.. und warten,.. bis das alles zu ende ist. Ich kann doch nicht ein Leben lang an Su!z!d denken?! Also bitte wenn irgendwer eine schmerzlose Idee hat, immer her damit. Weil Leben auf dieser schlimmen Welt? Will ich nicht, und mein Leben, ist auch nur scheise.

#depressing life #thoughts #depressiv #einsam #actually mentally ill #deprressed #depressing quotes #sorry for being depressing #kinda depressing #this is depressing #müde von menschen #müde vom kämpfen #müde von allem #müde vom leben #ich bin so müde #mentally fucked #ptbs #bpd episode #suixizidgedanken #chronic stress #chronic suicidality

[the-healing-mindset]

It may come as a surprise that something as simple as being stressed for too long can cause long term damage to health. Chronic stress and inflammation are not fun and are conditions that need to be taken note of and given constant attention for daily healing.

Source: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-inflammation-and-why-does-it-matter-for-child-development/?fbclid=IwAR0FdxCJGAHnQ_9CIUuNjRGPuO_LxcFViszQ1tzkfTCyBPKzVXhO6fJxZrc

#child development #healing #recovery #stress #chronic stress #chronic inflammation #inflammation #infographic #informational #health #mental health #physical health

[katimorton]

I can't keep going on like this, my work life balance is off and I need to take time off from work.  Even though it's just a week, it's been hard for me to actually take the time off. As a content creator, I feel so much pressure to keep making content everywhere. And with all of the platforms,  podcasting, social media, publishing, it feels like I need to be everywhere. I've needed this break for a while and I hope you can understand. With that said, I will not be publishing content next week. And when I come back, my goal is to hold myself accountable so I don't get to this kind of place again. And I want you to hold me accountable too. Hopefully by sharing my story and why I need to take time away (fully off of social media) to recharge and restore, will inspire some of you who may be in a similar situation, to do the same. If you're feeling burnout or burnt out with your work or job, and feel like your work exhaustion is too much, this may be something to consider. We've been through a lot these last 2-3 years and burnout is a real thing that we struggle with. It's important to take care of your needs and remember that everything is going to be okay if you take time away to take time for your own personal health. Sending you all so much love. See you in a couple weeks. 

#burnout #burnt #chronic stress #stress #need a break #mental health #mental heath support #therapist #therapy #psychology #kati morton