How Untreated Stress Can Manifest in Unhealthy Habits

Stress can get to anyone. It starts with taking on too many things at work. It may involve feeling overwhelmed at home. It often includes not having anyone to talk to. The reality is that stress has to be effectively managed. Without learning to deal with stress, you can easily fall into a number of unhealthy habits.

Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol can help to “numb” the pain of the stress that you’ve been dealing with. The problem is that alcohol and depression can turn into a vicious cycle – you drink because you’re depressed and you’re depressed because you drink.

Sometimes, alcohol can be a crutch. It’s a way to mask the stress and get through the hard days. However, alcohol can be addictive. It can lead to consuming too much and putting yourself into dangerous situations. With the help of alcohol rehab Austin residents can get the help that they need.

Drug Addiction

It’s not uncommon for people to try to self-medicate. This can be done with prescription medications as well as illicit ones. Someone may hear about a drug that has been able to boost productivity and overcome stress. So, they turn to the streets to get the drug. The drug does what it promises to do, so it becomes used more and more frequently.

If you want to make sure there are no substances in your body, you can use a drug and alcohol test.

With continued drug use, it can result in addiction. You may find that it’s hard to just walk away on your own. You may start to experience withdrawal symptoms and various aspects of your life may start to slip away. Without getting some kind of help, you run the risk of a drug overdose that can either send you to the hospital or take your life.

Smoking Incessantly

The nicotine in cigarettes offers an instant sense of relief. You can feel relaxed enough to focus on whatever it is that you’re working on. However, nicotine is habit-forming. It can also increase your anxiety and tension according to research. This means that as you deal with stress, you reach for the cigarette – and then another and another until you experience withdrawal symptoms to the point that you become hooked on smoking incessantly.

Smoking can also lead to major health problems including lung cancer and respiratory problems. Rather than turning to that first cigarette, it’s much easier to treat the stress that is causing you to look for that instant form of relief.

Eating to Mute Emotions

Emotional eating is extremely common. When you eat foods that you love, it releases endorphins. The endorphins give you a feeling of happiness. When those endorphins die down, you reach for more salty or sugary foods to get that feeling back. It gets you into a situation where you rely on food in order to regulate your emotions.

Stress, what stress? You don’t feel stressed because you’re feeding your body constantly to get the rush of endorphins. The problem, however, is that you may be consuming hundreds if not thousands of extra calories a day. It can result in weight gain as well as a number of medical problems associated with rapid weight gain.

The only way to get rid of these unhealthy habits is by identifying that you’re dealing with a lot of stress. Learning how to relieve stress can help you to unburden yourself and lead a healthier lifestyle. Some people can figure out how to treat the stress on their own while others need the help of medical professionals. You may also benefit from reading about Manifestation Affirmations.

If you find that you’re falling into some unhealthy habits, it’s important that you treat the stress right away. Plenty of places will help you, whether it’s an online counselor or an alcohol rehab in Austin.


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