Chronic Stress. Stress that Never Stops.

A lot of people talk about stress that comes and goes with the stressful event, but what do we call stress that never seems to turn off. Chronic stress is the name for the type of stress that never stops

Chronic stress often happens when people go through overwhelmingly stressful events for years at a time. People raised in homes with abuse or domestic violence often experience chronic stress because they live in constant stress of ongoing harm. People living in dangerous neighborhoods and war-zones experience this as well.

Chronic stress has the same symptoms of temporary stress - high- blood pressure, increased heart rate, irritability and so on- but with those symptoms being experienced almost non-stop for years. This puts people at an even higher risk of physical difficulties like heart attack, stroke, dementia, and other chronic/long-term illnesses.

Chronic stress also drastically increases the risk of mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress. Researchers have recently developed a new term called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). C-PTSD shows the same signs and symptoms of PTSD (flashbacks, nightmares, etc) but with more difficulties maintaining relationships and feeling long-term disconnection from life. Complex trauma often starts in childhood and can continue into adulthood. People experiencing chronic stress and complex trauma often feel unable to feel functional in daily life, like they’re barely keeping it together. Even if everything now seems fine on the outside.

If anything in this article fits you it may be a sign you experience chronic stress. Therapy gives you a space for to vent about your challenged and painful experiences while learning new ways to manage your never ending stress.

If you want professional help dealing with this overwhelming challenge schedule your first session.