How Does Stress Affect Pregnancy
It is normal to feel stressed during pregnancy. Your body and your hormones are changing, and you may worry about your baby and the changes he or she will bring to your life. But too much stress during pregnancy can hurt you and your babys health.
Stress during pregnancy can make normal pregnancy discomforts, like trouble sleeping and body aches, even worse. It can also lead to more serious problems, such as:
- Depression. Depression during pregnancy or after birth can affect your babys development. .
- Problems eating . Women who are or who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at risk for , including premature delivery and . Get a personalized recommendation on how much weight to gain during pregnancy.
- High blood pressure. High blood pressure during pregnancy puts you at risk of a serious condition called , premature delivery, and having a low-birth-weight infant .
Talk to your doctor about your stress, and to help manage your stress. Learn about too.
A Toxic Work Environment Can Lead To Depression
Your work environment has significant power over your mood and therefore can negatively affect your mental health.
Many patients who suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression also deal with tense or toxic work environments.
What does that mean?
This may involve anything from harassment, overworked employees, low pay, and unhealthy relationships with coworkers or bosses. All these factors can lead to depression since they contribute to psychological disruption. Excess stress increases the production of cortisol and other hormones.
You can help avoid this by trying some simple strategies.
For example, take breaks to rest, avoid overworking yourself, and improve your workplace with relaxing music and aromatherapy.
Take Care Of Your Body
A healthy body can help you manage stress. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep, eat healthy food, stay hydrated and exercise regularly. Go easy on the caffeine. Shorting yourself on sleep, and especially pulling an all-nighter, robs you of energy and your ability to concentrate. A healthy diet improves your ability to learn. Don’t skip breakfast.
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Let Us Help You Restore Your Brains Health
Here at StoneRidge Centers, we aim to restore the brain to its optimal state of health. Our comprehensive curriculum combines evidence-based therapy, nutrition, and exercise. Anxiety and depression dont have to control your life. Our expert staff members can help treat mental health and addiction challenges.
We can help you manage anxiety and depression in a healthy way that will prevent further harm to your brain. Contact us today at 928-583-7799 if you or a loved one are living with anxiety or depression. Were available 24 hours and 7 days a week to answer any questions you may have.
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Screen Time Lowers The Amount Of Time We Spend Connecting With Others
The term social media is misleading, because all that time you spend with your head down looking at your phone is time you are not connecting with a real person. Even if you are watching a movie with someone, you are generally not communicating while the movie is playing. A lack of time with others can lead to loneliness, anxiety, and depression.
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Causes & Risk Factors
Stress often results if a person feels that there are high pressures or demands, that there is a threat to their well-being or that they don’t have enough resources to cope with the demands.
Common sources of stress include a person’s physical environment , relationships, work, life situations and major life changes. These situations can include negative events such as financial problems, relationship breakup, difficulties at work or school, injury, illness or death and grieving. However, situations leading to stress can also include positive changes, such as work promotions, getting married or buying a house.
Because stress is a normal part of life, everyone experiences it. However, the intensity, frequency and duration of stress will be different for each person. Numerous factors can make the experience of stress worse, such as when people:
- have limited social support
- have difficulty regulating or balancing their emotions
- have difficulty tolerating uncertainty or distress
- lack self-confidence or do not feel they can cope with the stressor
- interpret the stressor negatively, so that they feel powerless, overwhelmed or helpless.
Both Devices And The Content We View Interfere With Sleep
The blue light used by digital devices affects the way your brain produces melatonin, a chemical it needs to sleep. And depending on what you are viewing on the screen such as a fast-paced movie, work-related emails, or a long news feed your brain may be more revved up than relaxed. A lack of sleep can, at the very least, make it hard to focus. Continued nights of not enough rest can contribute to depression.
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Stressed Or Depressed Know The Difference
If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress, you are not alone it’s practically a fact of life on college campuses. A poll conducted by mtvU and the Associated Press in the spring of 2009 reported that 85% of students say they experience stress on a daily basis.
Stress is good if it motivates you but it’s bad if it wears you down. Many factors can contribute to the stress you experience, and this stress can cause changes in your body that affect your overall physical, mental, and emotional health.
Depression is more serious and long-lasting than stress, and requires a different kind of help. In a 2010 survey by the American College Health Association, 28% of college students reported feeling so depressed at some point they had trouble functioning, and 8% sought treatment for depression.
The good news is that depression is a highly treatable condition. However, it’s not something you can snap out of by yourself, so it’s important to get help. How do you tell the difference between stress and depression? Both can affect you in similar ways, but there are key differences. Symptoms of depression can be much more intense. They last at least two weeks. Depression causes powerful mood changes, such as painful sadness and despair. You may feel exhausted and unable to act.
Here are common signs of stress and depression. Which fits you best?
Using Social Networks Too Much Can Lead To Depression
Recent studies have shown a correlation between overusing social networks and depressive behaviors.
In recent years, several studies have been done regarding the use of social networks and mental health disorders.
A study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology concluded that the use of social networks may play a role in negative emotions such as depression and feelings of loneliness. Factors such as constant social comparison or bullying can explain these negative effects.
Although using social networks in moderation doesnt usually have a big impact, staying on these platforms for extended periods can be negative. Therefore, the general recommendation is to set limits or reduce your usage.
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Side Effects Of Masturbation
Masturbation rarely causes physical side effects. People who use too much pressure may experience pain. Likewise, boys or men who masturbate while lying face down can put too much pressure on their penis and nerves. This can lead to ED and loss of sensation.
Frequent masturbation may lead to chafing. Using lubrication can prevent this.
Though the diagnosis is controversial, some believe that an addiction to masturbation or sex is possible. Addiction happens when your body craves a substance or behavior to the point where it interferes with your daily life. People who are addicted to this activity find that the desire to masturbate interrupts their daily activities.
If you have an addiction, masturbating may lead you to:
- skip work
- ignore chores
- otherwise avoid your responsibilities
A masturbation addiction can also negatively impact relationships. If you think youre addicted to masturbation, seek help from a professional.
Why Is Working From Home Better
Add in the lack of a commute, and remote workers typically have more time and fewer distractions, which leads to increased productivitya huge benefit of working from home for both employees and employers alike. When done right, remote work allows employees and companies to focus on what really mattersperformance.
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Decreased Energy And Insomnia
Chronic fatigue and can also be caused by prolonged stress.
For example, one study of 2,483 people found that fatigue was strongly associated with increased stress levels .
Stress may also disrupt sleep and cause insomnia, which can lead to low energy.
One small study found that higher levels of work-related stress were associated with increased sleepiness and restlessness at bedtime .
Another study of 2,316 participants showed that experiencing a higher number of stressful events was significantly associated with an increased risk of insomnia .
These studies show an association, but they dont account for other factors that may have played a role. Further research is needed to determine if stress can directly cause decreased energy levels.
Other factors that may play a role in decreased energy levels include dehydration, low blood sugar, a poor diet or an underactive thyroid.
Summary Stress is associated with fatigue and disruptions in sleep, which may result in decreased energy levels.
Can You Analyze Your Problems And Feelings Too Much
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2.
These lines from Shakespeare summarize a key idea in psychological research into depression: The way that people think influences their perceptions of events and, thereby, their symptoms. The pessimist with a “glass-half-empty” mindset is more likely to become depressed in response to the trials and tribulations of life compared to the optimist with a “glass-half-full” mindset.
This idea is a central element of cognitive therapy approaches to depression, where a therapist helps the patient identify, and then examine, the evidence for and against individual negative thoughts. Over 30 years of research confirms that people with depression tend to have more negative thoughtsand that more negative thoughts make people sadder.
However, as well as the content of a particular thoughte.g., “I am a failure” or “I am a success” research is increasingly indicating that the process and style of thinking is important. In particular, there is the recognition that repeated dwelling on the self, mood, and difficulties is a key aspect of thinking in depression.
In an extensive programme of research, Professor Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, now at Yale University, has shown that this response style is characteristic ofand often perpetuatesdepression.
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The Role Of Cortisol In Depression
Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
People with depression tend to have reduced amounts of serotonin in their brain and elevated levels of cortisol in their bloodstream. Because cortisol is related to stress, implementing a stress-management lifestyle may be an important aspect of coping with your depression.
How Can You Help Yourself
If you’re feeling stressed, there are some things you can try to feel less tense and overwhelmed.
1. Recognise when stress is a problem
Its important to connect the physical and emotional signs youre experiencing to the pressures you are faced with. Dont ignore physical warning signs such as tense muscles, tiredness, headaches or migraines.
Think about whats causing your stress. Sort them into issues with a practical solution, things that will get better with time and things you can’t do anything about. Take control by taking small steps towards the things you can improve.
Make a plan to address the things that you can. This might involve setting yourself realistic expectations and prioritising essential commitments. If you feel overwhelmed, ask for help and say no to things you cant take on.
2. Think about where you can make changes
Are you taking on too much? Could you hand over some things to someone else? Can you do things in a more leisurely way? You may need to prioritise things and reorganise your life so youre not trying to do everything at once.
3. Build supportive relationships
Find close friends or family who can offer help and practical advice can support you in managing stress. Joining a club or a course can help to expand your social network and encourage you to do something different. Activities like volunteering can change your perspective and have a beneficial impact on your mood.
4. Eat healthily
5. Be aware of your smoking and drinking
8. Be mindful
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How To Prevent Stress From Morphing Into Depression
Understanding the psychological mechanisms of how stress can lead to depression can help you prevent it. This is especially important for people who have had a prior episode of depression and would like to prevent relapse.
Stress has direct effects on mood. Early initial symptoms of lowered mood can include irritability, sleep disruption, and cognitive changes, such as impaired concentration. However, the indirect effects of stress are often what causes depression to take hold.
1. Stress disrupts a persons healthy coping strategies.
When people experience stress, they often stop engaging in some of the healthy coping strategies that usually help keep their mood on track. In other words, when stress triggers a lowered mood, it’s more likely that the person will skip their typical healthy mood regulation strategiesresulting in further mood problems.
Example: Stress at work can lead to overworking as a result, the person doesnt go to yoga class, go running, read before bed, or catch up with close friends as much.
2. Early initial low mood symptoms generate further stress.
When a person is stressed and begins to experience some initial changes in their mood, these symptoms often generate further increased stress.
Example:
- the person has an irritable outburst at work and gets a complaint
- impaired concentration results in a mistakeeither a major mistake or just a small mistake, like leaving something important at home
Drinking Too Much Alcohol Can Cause Depression
Abuse of alcoholic beverages can cause alterations in brain activity, causing or worsening episodes of depression.
Alcoholics cannot usually fulfill their work and family obligations, which contributes to the negative effects. The most worrying thing is that when someone suffers from both alcoholism and depression, quitting the addiction becomes even more difficult.
Therefore, those who suffer from depression and abuse alcohol require constant professional and family support. Also, the sufferer should attend various kinds of therapy.
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What The Expert Says
A depressed person is compromised in dealing with problematic situations, says Stacey Stickley, a licensed professional counselor practicing in Ashburn, Virginia. When a person is dealing with depression, things may seem more negative than they really are. Events that would have been taken in stride may seem more problematic or impossible to handle. The idea of taking action on things may require more of a persons resources, resources that are already compromised due to the depression.
Talk to your doctor about pharmacological options, or go talk to a counselor about evaluating and managing your symptoms, she says. Dont wait. Being proactive is important so you can maybe stop the downward slide sooner. Its easier to climb out of a shallow hole than one you have been slowly digging and tunneling into for several months.
Take Care Of Yourself
When you are facing ongoing stress, it is particularly important to practice healthy self-care. Give yourself breaks to relax, follow a nutritious diet, get regular exercise, and find ways to protect your sleep.
Exercise, for example, has a wide range of positive health benefits, including reductions in perceived stress and anxiety. However, research also suggests that experiencing stress also makes it more difficult for people to stick to their usual physical activity routine.
If stress makes it difficult to stay motivated to exercise, look for ways to gradually make exercise a part of your routine. Set small goals, even if it’s 10 to 20 minutes of activity a day, and then gradually work your way up. You may find that over time, engaging in physical activity actually helps you better cope with your stress.
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What Are Some Symptoms Of Stress
Stress affects everyone differently. Some ways that chronic or long-term stress affects women include:
- Pain, including back pain
- Acne and other skin problems, like rashes or hives
- Headaches
- Feeling like you have no control
- Forgetfulness
- Overeating or not eating enough
- Being easily angered
- Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed
- Less interest in sex than usual
The Link Between Stress And Depression And The 10 Simple Words That Could Help
Neurological insights into how the brain processes stress, and how it can develop into depression, have led to new interventions
Its a damp, midweek afternoon. Even so, Cardiffs walk-in stress management course has pulled in more than 50 people. There are teenagers, white-haired older people with walking aids, people from Caucasian, Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds. There is at least one pair who look like a parent and child Im unsure who is there to support whom.
The course instructor makes it clear that she is not going to ask people to speak out about their own stress levels in this first class: We know speaking in public is stressful in itself. She tells us a bit about previous attendees: a police officer whose inexplicable and constant worrying prevented him from functioning a retired 71-year-old unable to shake the incomprehensible but constant fatigue and sadness that blighted his life a single mother unable to attend her daughters school concert, despite the disappointment it would cause.
What is the common theme that links these people and the varied group sitting there this afternoon and listening?
Stress may once just have been a kind of executive trophy Im so stressed! but recent research suggests it is a key element in developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
Ten words. Three simple instructions. But, given enough time, sometimes thats all it takes to make significant changes.
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