Stress Yields Behavioral Effects

A widely used definition of stressful situations is one in which the demands of the situation threaten to exceed the resources of the individual.

Stressors have a major influence on a person’s mood, sense of well-being, behavior, and health. Acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden; however, if the threat is unrelenting, (particularly in older or unhealthy individuals), the long-term effects of stressors can damage health. The long term behavioral effects come only after a period of stress, while you can see short term behavior effects almost immediately after feel the first stress.

When stress and anxiety escalate without a means to cope, they often are linked to many troublesome psychological and physiological conditions. Oftentimes, psychological distress accompanies and/or produces these behaviors of stress, which include:

• Grinding of teeth or biting the inside of their mouth
  • Teeth grinding or clenched jaw may happen subconsciously. If you already grind your teeth, stress could make the problem worse.

• Mood changes
  • A stressed person may have angry outbursts
  • Ill temper
  • Annoyed or easily angered

• Fatigue
  • There may be times when a person is required to work at their maximum output for sustained periods. In order to do this, one must implement periods of deep rest which enables both the body and mind to recover. Failure to do so can eventually result in burnout and chronic fatigue. The stressed individual may feel like they are constantly running and are unable to settle down, thus fail to take the time to rest and recuperate. Constant fatigue is often a sign that someone is overwhelmed and experiencing stress.
  • In the long run, stress may cause a person to have a lack of energy. One may be feeling tired and uninspired all the time. Even getting up in the morning can seem like a huge challenge.
  • A stressed individual may also experience sexual problems (tiredness, loss of libido etc.

• Overeating or Under-eating
  • Indulging in comfort foods is often used as a coping mechanism and can make one feel better temporarily; however, these foods are rich in salt, sugar, and fat, which can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and heart related illnesses.
  • According to a study, stress affects the part of the brain that communicates sensory information (like taste) as well as the part involved in self-control, so unhealthful food may appear even more delicious, and it may be harder to stick to your weight-loss or weight-maintenance goal. .
  • Some people have the opposite response to stressful situation i.e. they avoid eating. They may be experiencing a suppressed appetite which may contribute to acidity in the body.

• Drug or Alcohol Abuse
  • Those experiencing stress often don’t realize that it is stress which they are experiencing. Where they do realize this, they often have no idea how to deal with stress.  One of the most common coping mechanisms for dealing with difficulty is alcohol or drug usage. A person may rely on alcohol or drugs to take their worries away. Excess substance usage is a common method of forgetting about the difficulties of life. It can be highly addictive, and it fails to resolve the situation.
  • Other coping mechanisms include smoking, illegal and prescription drugs.

• Social Withdrawal
  • Stressed individuals tend to regularly miss work. They may be trying to avoid a difficult situation or they may be suffering the consequences of one of their coping mechanisms. ie: alcohol.
  • Stressed individuals may develop a sense of loneliness
  • As mood is negatively affected, the person may lose interest in meeting friends, family and attending functions like parties and weddings. They may avoid others and others avoid them because they’re cranky
  • The individual’s self-esteem and confidence may have taken a hit and as a consequence, they may no longer feel capable of coping with social situations. In order to protect their fragile confidence, they may choose to avoid all such situations.

• More Forgetful
  • Timekeeping is one of the first things to suffer when an individual becomes stressed. They may take too many tasks on; try to avoid tasks and thus leave them until the last minute or they may be so overcome with worry/anxiety that they become forgetful. In order to remedy the situation, they must first identify why their punctuality is so poor
  • If you’ve ever felt scatterbrained and about to cry during an extended stressful period, recent research could explain why, a study on rats finds that chronic stress rewires parts of their brains so that they’re more emotional and more forgetful.

• Sleeping Difficulties
  • Sufferers of stress often find it difficult to switch off. With no activity to distract them, negative thinking, anxieties and worries take over the mind. Fear of having forgotten something and negative expectations of forthcoming events (e.g. interview, presentation) limits the ability to relax sufficiently to fall asleep. Sleep shortage and insomnia are often tell-tale signs of stress. failing to set aside times for relaxation through activities such as hobbies, music, art or reading When the stress is unrelenting with no coping mechanisms it can manifest into sleepwalking as well.

• Making Bad Decisions
  • Research suggests that it’s best to avoid making important choices when feeling stressed because one tends to overemphasize the potential positive outcomes of the decision, while underemphasizing the negative.
    • ie: if you’re under pressure to decide whether to take a job offer, you might focus on the company perks and forget about the long commute.
  • A sudden development of risk taking behavior can be a clear sign of stress. Individuals may be experiencing a low sense of self-worth or a lack of excitement in their lives.
    • Gambling is a common behavioral symptom of stress, which falls within this category.
    • Certain extreme sports and reckless driving are some of the other symptoms of stress which may fall under risk-taking behavior.
  • A stressed individual may resort to impulse buying. The person may feel elated with acquiring things and hence may go on a random shopping spree. This is a strong indicator that the person is not in control of his or herself.
• Nervous behavior
  • Biting or picking nails or the skin around fingers
  • Touching their face constantly or twisting their hair
  • Rapid speaking
  • Stumbling over words
  • Agitated behavior
  • Twiddling your fingers