The Effects of Being Brokenhearted and Stressed

 

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As I write this, I'm mostly filled with so much stress and heartbreak if I'm being totally honest. So many things have happened recently that have just affected almost every aspect of life and yet I still try to find the good in all of it.  

It's definitely hard to stay positive in the midst of stress and heartbreak but what else can you do? Is sulking going to help? I mean a good cry will most definitely help to release some built up stress and anger but staying in that funk will not help the situation at all. 

Now I may not be an emotional eater *thank God*or even not eat at all when I'm dealing with a whole lot of stress or heartache but I do get quite depressed, irritable, angry and stressed out and very distant which is obviously not a good thing for the people around me but it does happen. I honestly try not to let bad experiences change the way that I act towards people around me and all but it's seriously hard!

The way you respond to heartbreak and disappointments will have an enormous impact on your life. Everyone has their own way they deal with the bad things that are happening around them. Some may deal with them in a shockingly calm way and some will have rage and full on anger in them like I used to. But after reading what all that stress and heartbreak does to the body, I've tried to stay as calm as I can.

I'm pretty sure after reading the effects of what staying in that funk will do to your body, you'll at least try to change the way you react in certain situations. 

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The three chemicals that are released when you are stressed out are cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine.

The effects of stress and heartbrokenness has on the body:

• Weakened immune system - The stress from all the heartbrokenness will lead to a weakened immune system. This happens because the corticosteroid(stress hormone) lowers the number of lymphocytes( white blood cells) in the immune system which then makes us susceptible to infections.
• Weight fluctuation - One day you've lost weight and then the other you've gained weight. With all the stress you've been getting, you may forget to eat or you tend to overeat in times of excessive stress. Overeating can increase your risk of getting high cholesterol, hypertension, and a few other bad health complications that you definitely would want to avoid.
• Broken heart syndrome, and what that basically does to the body is cause you to feel like you're having a heart attack and you'll have some chest pains. 

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• High blood pressure - I think this one is very obvious. Too much stress is obviously not good for you. I mean who would want an increased risk of getting a heart attack?
• Slower heart rate because of heartbreak
• High stress levels - when your stress levels are extremely high it will disrupt the way your body usually functions.  You'll end up dealing with a whole lot of health complications which include heart attacks, anxiety, weakened immune system(which is already mentioned above), migraines, upset stomach, insomnia, body pains, and less energy throughout the day.
• Muscle spasms- being stressed out and heartbroken can lead to you having muscle spasms and tightness in your legs. 
• For the ladies, staying depressed and stressed can cause your menstrual cycle to become irregular, if not more than it already is. Stress can cause a hormonal imbalance and can impact the amount of estrogen and progesterone your body makes every month.
• You lose sight of the important things in life - Nothing good ever comes from staying in a funk, especially when it causes you to think about whatever problem you have rather than focusing on the important things. Staying focused even if it's hard to do is one of the best things you can do. 
• Less sleep!!!!! Why on earth would anybody want to lose sleep over the troubles one might endure during a heartbreak??? No one!!!!! You need sleep! Without sleep you'll cause even more anger and irritation to take over because you're not only dealing with a whole lot of stress and such but you also haven't been getting enough sleep. Not only that but by not getting enough sleep you'll cause a huge amount of strain on your heart.

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One thing for sure is that while I may go through all these troubles, I know that it will make me wiser and most definitely stronger!