Is All Stress Bad? How Stress is Both Helpful and Harmful

It is a common misconception that all stress is bad and should be avoided at all times. However, stress is a natural response to demanding or challenging situations, and it can have both positive and negative effects on our mental and physical health. In order to determine if our stress is helpful or harmful to us, and to effectively manage our stress, we need to first understand the impacts of short and long-term stress on our wellbeing. 

Impacts of Short-Term Stress

Short-term stress is also known as acute stress and is a normal response to a specific event. When we experience acute stress, our bodies activate the well-known ‘flight or flight’ response, which prepares the body to deal with a stressor. When the fight or flight response is activated, hormones are released within our bodies that cause our breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure to increase. These can be positive physical changes that allow our bodies to efficiently pump the necessary oxygen and nutrients to our brain and muscles, increase our blood sugar levels to enhance energy and focus, prepare us for physical action, and temporarily enhance our immune system. 

Acute stress can be protective and beneficial; it can give you the focus you need to meet a deadline or solve a work problem, provide the energy and strength to remove yourself from danger, or a boost to your immune system to help you avoid a cold during a stressful period. However, if the stressor is not removed, or if you are constantly experiencing acute stress, the physical changes associated with the stress response can have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing.

Impacts of Long-term Stress 

Long-term stress is also known as chronic stress and is a prolonged response to multiple or ongoing stressors over an extended period of time. This means your fight-or-flight response remains activated for far too long! Chronic stress can negatively impact our physical and mental health in several ways. 

Some physical health effects include:

• Increased blood pressure which can increase heart disease and stroke risk

• Disruptions of the reproductive system which may lead to sexual dysfunction and infertility

• Digestive problems including irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers

• Suppression of the immune system which leaves the body more prone to infection or illness

• Heightened muscle tension which may result in chronic headaches and migraines 

• Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis

Some mental health effects include:

• Depression, anxiety, and burnout

• Insomnia which can intensify the negative effects of stress

• Disruption to memory and cognitive abilities which can impact our ability to focus, make decisions, or concentrate

• Difficulties maintaining social connections and relationships

While short-term acute stress can be helpful for navigating and overcoming specific, time-limited challenges, long-term chronic stress can decrease our quality of life, affect our ability to function, and compromise our physical and mental wellbeing. Stress can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which can damage blood vessels, and is associated with heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Additionally, prolonged stress can lead to unhealthy behaviours as a way to cope with our stress, such as over-eating, alcohol consumption, and smoking, which further contribute to health problems. 

So, although short-term can be beneficial, stress over long periods of time – when we are in a constant state of fight or flight and unable to return to a state of relaxation – can be very detrimental to our health. 

But, are you left wondering… Why does short-term stress boost our immune system, while long-term stress makes us sick??

Let us know if you would like to see a  future blog focusing specifically on stress and the immune system, as well as some stress coping strategies. Don’t want to miss our blogs? Subscribe to our blog post newsletter and receive 1-2  informational, actionable wellness articles right to your inbox each month. If you liked this post, and think it would be helpful to bring in a qualified, wellness education Speaker to talk more about the impacts of stress in your workplace, organization, or group, contact us here. We have several wellness speakers for hire who are passionate about helping you meet your wellness education goals. 

Written by:
Cindy McDowell, MSc, WellIntel Talks Co-Founder, Cognitive Health Researcher & Expert Speaker