Stress. It’s a six-letter word that can mean trouble. Chronic stress makes life less enjoyable and opens you to other problems down the road, including substance abuse. But what are the signs of stress? Ethan Crossing Recovery is here to provide you with mental health treatment programs to help you deal with stress and more.
They are a little different for everyone, but once you start to feel these overwhelming moments of stress, that’s the time to act. Uncontrolled stress can take its toll on your life and can lead to addiction, gradually, sometimes without notice. But if you recognize the problem and seek addiction treatment therapy, recovery services, and build in ways of coping with stress, you can direct yourself to a happier life.
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Signs of Stress
Stress is normal and, in fact, is a helpful human emotion. It enables our bodies to react and respond to dangerous situations. But sometimes stress becomes overwhelming and starts to show in our bodies and our behaviors. Stress comes out in a variety of ways. Some of the major signs include:
- Disruption of sleep
- Tremors or the shakes
- Heart palpitations
- Tense muscles
- Gastrointestinal difficulties
- Clenched jaw
- Changes in appetite
Feeling stress on occasion is one thing. Feeling it all the time, and being unable to control the sensation, is quite another, and can be quite dangerous. If you are suffering from stress or anxiety, seek help from an anxiety treatment program at a mental health treatment center.
How Stress Leads to Substance Abuse
Life has a way of becoming overwhelming. The pressures of work, school, and family can build up to create a wall of pressure. Sometimes we can easily become overwhelmed, and before we know it, we’ve turned to drugs or alcohol to take away the sting.
Chronic exposure to stress can dramatically increase the risk of substance abuse. It happens gradually, where suddenly, out of desperation, people turn to self-medication for help and often need addiction intervention.
It may feel good at first but remember that the drugs or alcohol will wear off, and the same bad feelings return. This begins the cycle. Once the effects wear off, and you grow anxious again, you seek the same relief. And before you know it, you’re in deep trouble if you do not seek help from a substance abuse treatment center.
Easing Stress
The signs of stress have announced themselves. What are the ways of coping? Short of psychological treatment and an individual therapy program, there’s a lot you can do. Physical exercise is a great way of dispersing stress, and getting the right amount of rest and eating right can also be an important factor. Taking walks in nature, listening to music, spending time with family–these are all-natural stress busters.
Sometimes the stress gets too much and you need help. You have two basic choices: counseling or medication. Often the best results come from counseling with medication. Your doctor may point you toward a therapist who can help you identify with the stressors in your life and challenge you to build coping skills.
You may also benefit from medications, such as SSRIs, which help increase the amount of serotonin in your brain and produce a calming effect.
If you are feeling signs of overwhelming stress, contact your doctor for advice or reach out to a treatment center near you.
Getting Help at Ethan Crossing Recovery
The facts are clear: Stress is a killer. If you or a loved one are showing signs of stress, it’s imperative for you to find positive, productive ways to turn down the flame. That’s because stress is associated with a high rate of substance abuse, which has its own devastating effects.
The experts at Ethan Crossing Recovery are here to help you through this troubled period at our residential treatment center. We focus on much more than addiction, substance abuse, and dependency. Our approach is to treat the whole person, including his or her psychological and medical conditions. We design our programs for the long haul. Take the first step today by calling us at 833.691.0736.