The past year has not easy been easy for my mother. For many of us, it isn’t always a good year. This is the reality. I’ve noticed it too. Unfortunately, stress ages us if we are not careful. While there are elements we can’t control, like the death of a loved one, there are precautions we can do to avoid being stressed.
Stress is a silent killer. It’s something we don’t realize we have until the symptoms show. I can relate. I thought stress was something I could control through “not thinking about it,” but what I found out was that it wasn’t that easy. Stress sneaks up on us. Though we might not feel stressed at the time, it builds up and eventually leads to other problems like depression or anxiety.
Emotional Distress Speeds Up Cellular Aging
Studies indicate that stress speeds up our cellular aging through a chemical. Accurately, our cells divide and are responsible for our age. Emotional distress speeds up cellular aging. Every human cell has 46 chromosomes. At a certain point, our cells lose their ability to dive further. There is something called the telomere length that marks biological age. Those who experience stressful life experiences, are linked to accelerated telemore shortening.
After a year of stress from my father’s passing, I found that I had more gray hair than the year before. My eyes were saggy and my skin rough at the touch. I’ve seen firsthand people with depression who look older than they say they are. These aging problems are reversible through meditation and proper stress management.
Job Stress Can Damage Cells
When you are going through stress, it creates that fight or flight reaction in an unrelenting way, and as a result, stress chemicals are released into the body. This is another problem with today’s society. As expenses rise, more Americans feel the pressure to work longer and harder hours. Stress can damage cells and lead to early aging.
Stress at a workplace can include emotional, physical, and psychological stress through factors we cannot control. If you find yourself in a situation where your job is causing more harm than good, consider finding something else.
Stress Can Lead to Vision and Hearing Problems
Additionally, stress increases heart rate and blood pressure. These problems can cause patients to experience vision and hearing problems. The losses may not be permanent, yet they can begin to behave and feel less like themselves.
My personal experience indicates this to be true. I found that my eyes were constantly dry. I always had 20/20 vision until I experienced unrelenting stress. My eye sight started to lose its sharpness until I changed my daily habits.