Have you ever felt a pounding headache right before an exam or experienced a churning stomach ahead of an important presentation? That reaction isn’t just in your mind—your body is responding to stress in real time.
What Is Stress?
Stress is the body’s natural biological and psychological response to a perceived threat or challenge. In small doses, it can be helpful—pushing us to meet deadlines, stay focused, or navigate emergencies. But when stress becomes chronic, it can seriously disrupt our physical and mental wellbeing.
This is where the body starts to “keep score.”
The Science of Stress
Our bodies come wired with a built-in alarm system: the fight-or-flight response. When we perceive a threat—real or imagined—our brain releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones prepare us for action: heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and muscles tense.
In short bursts, this system helps us survive. But when stress doesn’t stop—when it lasts for days, weeks, or even months—our bodies remain stuck in high alert, wearing down our systems over time.
Tarun’s Story: Chilled to Trapped
Tarun was always the “chill guy” in his group, always ready for late-night gaming or spontaneous adventures. Life felt manageable, even during busy times. But as college deadlines mounted and family pressures increased, Tarun felt trapped.
Gradually, he began waking each morning with a persistent tightness in his chest, an unshakable heaviness. His heart would suddenly race uncontrollably, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst, even while resting. He lost his appetite and struggled to get more than four hours of sleep a night. One day, without warning, he had a full-blown panic attack—in the middle of a supermarket.
At the doctor’s office, the diagnosis was simple but sobering:
“Your body is in survival mode. You’re running on stress.”
How Stress Affects the Body
Stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it impacts nearly every system in your body:
- Brain & Mental Health: Difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, brain fog, increased anxiety, and risk of depression.
- Heart & Circulation: High blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and increased risk of heart disease or stroke.
- Lungs & Breathing: Shallow breathing, shortness of breath, and possible asthma or panic attacks.
- Digestion: Nausea, acid reflux, appetite changes, IBS, and ulcers.
- Muscles & Joints: Tension, aches (especially in the neck, shoulders, and back), and chronic headaches.
- Sleep & Immunity: Insomnia, weakened immune system, frequent infections, and constant fatigue.
..More on Stress Impact on health
Managing Stress: What Helps
You can’t eliminate stress entirely—but you can learn to manage it more effectively. Here’s how:
🧘♀️ Meditation
Mindful breathing calms the nervous system, lowers heart rate, and reduces muscle tension. It helps you respond—rather than react—to stressful situations, building long-term mental resilience.
🏃 Physical Activity
Regular exercise is a natural stress-buster. It boosts endorphins, lowers cortisol, improves sleep, and eases muscle tension—helping your body recover from stress physically and mentally.
📓 Self-Care Practices
Journaling helps you process emotions, identify stress triggers, and gain clarity. Even a few minutes a day can quiet mental clutter and bring emotional relief.
🧠 Counselling & Therapy
Working with a therapist can help you identify sources of stress, reframe negative thoughts, and develop coping tools. Approaches like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also promote nervous system balance.
💆 Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This technique involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups to release physical stress. It increases body awareness and promotes a deep sense of calm.
🌿 Lifestyle Changes
Balanced nutrition, limiting caffeine and alcohol, prioritizing rest, and building daily routines that support well-being can reduce the physical toll of stress. Boundaries, hobbies, and connection are essential, too.
Final Thoughts
Stress isn’t “just in your head”—it’s a full-body experience. When we ignore it, the body starts speaking louder: through headaches, chest tightness, sleep problems, or stomach pain.
But the good news? Your body is incredibly resilient.
When you start listening—really listening—and give it the rest, care, and attention it’s been asking for, healing begins. You’re not weak for feeling overwhelmed. You’re human. And your body is doing its best to protect you.
Maybe it’s time we gave it permission to rest.