5 Unhealthy behavior triggered by stress & bull; hello healthy

Feeling stressed is a natural response in dealing with various things in everyday life. One sign if someone is unable to properly manage stress is a change in behavior that is different from daily habits, and even tends to be harmful to health. The following are some examples of behavior changes that are often caused by excessive stress, and can have a negative impact on health.

1. Too much or too little food consumption

Consumption of too much and too little is an eating disorder, in this case, as a psychological response to someone who is experiencing stress. Although caused by the same factors, these two eating disorders have several differences. The condition of consuming excess food is caused by the body's response due to increased levels of the hormone cortisol and insulin, which is accompanied by an increase in the hormone ghrelin so that someone who is stressed tends to feel hungry longer. Meanwhile, eating too little disorder is caused by a loss of appetite due to emotional distress and conditions similar to anorexia. Too much eating disorder is experienced by both men and women in adulthood, while too little eating disorder when under stress tends to be experienced by women at the age of children to adolescents.

The effects of eating disorders due to stress include nutritional imbalances and obesity. However, a greater impact is often experienced by someone who consumes too little food, including decreased sex hormones, osteoporosis, digestive tract disorders, skin and hair health disorders, and changes in sleep patterns. Loss of appetite can recur, especially if the stress condition tends to be chronic.

Efforts to overcome these two things are to reduce exposure to sources of stress and their effect on changes in one's emotions. Physical activity can affect one's mood and improve one's appetite, whether you want to eat excessively or eat too little. In addition, discussing the problems that are being experienced with the closest people will help relieve the stress that is being experienced.

2. Withdrawing from the social environment

This is a sign that someone is not succeeding in minimizing the impact of their stress. Withdrawal from the closest person is a form of behavior during depression that can be caused by stress. Stress conditions can lead to a person's negative view of the surrounding environment and themselves, thereby reducing appreciation (self-worth) to itself and eliminates pleasure in interacting with the environment. This condition will worsen the body's response to stress, causing the production of stress hormones to tend to be overproduced.

Before solving problems related to communication with other people, there are several things you can do to deal with stress and depression:

• Relaxation - This can be done by regulating your breathing and building a positive outlook on the problems you are experiencing so that it can help you rebuild the confidence to communicate.
• Recognize fear - Knowing what you are afraid of will make it easier for you to deal with it and prevent the fear from coming back.
• Assume that you are interacting with someone you know - this can help relax you and remind you that you are not alone. It can also help you communicate more kindly with those around you.

3. Explosive anger

Anger is a response in the form of emotions that causes aggressive behavior such as violence. This is closely related to the body's response to stress experienced by a person. Stress hormones will increase the excretion of adrenaline which causes the heart to beat faster. As a result, in this condition we tend to find it more difficult to relax and become more irritable. This needs to be avoided because throwing out anger with violence creates various other problems that have the potential to become a new source of stress for ourselves.

When it is difficult for us to relax, the blood pressure tends to be higher than usual. This causes someone who is angry due to stress will be more at risk of various disorders such as heart attacks and strokes. Avoiding or distracting from sources of stress when you are angry is the main way to keep you relaxed. In addition, avoid some things that can make you prone to irritability when under stress, such as eating excess food and consuming excess sugar and caffeine when you are tired or have a lot of things to think about.

4. No routine physical activity

This is because when under stress, a person tends to withdraw from various activities, one of which is sports. This can happen to anyone and cause disruption in the exercise routine, as a result the body can become fat more easily because stress conditions can encourage more fat accumulation. Doing exercise even at a lower intensity when you are stressed can help you relax because it helps the production of endorphins and improves your mood so that you can get through times of stress better.

5. Smoking and alcohol consumption more than usual

Both smoking and alcohol consumption are unhealthy lifestyle behaviors but it is widely believed that they can alleviate the effects of stress on a person. The content of cigarettes known as nicotine can easily reach and influence the brain to trigger the secretion of the hormone dopamine which gives a calming effect in about 8 seconds. Meanwhile, alcohol consumption can slow down the body's emotional response to stress such as anxiety, pressure, and nervousness.

Even so, it does not alleviate the stress condition experienced by a person. It can even cause bigger health impacts such as increased blood pressure, damage to muscle tissue, and reduced oxygen intake in the blood.

If you smoke and drink alcohol, keep in mind that this will not solve your problem or relieve your stress. Avoid consuming excess alcohol and cigarettes when under stress and don't wait for your stress to disappear to stop. Calming down and avoiding access to cigarettes or alcohol are the best ways to deal with addiction when you are stressed.