Stress and Your Body: The Physical Toll of Modern Life and How to Manage It

4 July 2026

If you mostly feel that you are at the end of the tether or drowned in work, you might be experiencing chronic (long-term) stress. Seek help if you feel overwhelmed or if stress is causing problems with your life; do not brush them off.

Stress is a part of life. But when stress becomes chronic, it can suppress the immune system, impair digestion, and affect blood pressure. Studies have also found links between chronic or severe stress and medical conditions, including: (1)

Cardiovascular disease (disease affecting the heart and blood vessels)
Anxiety
Depression
Sleep problems
Chronic fatigue
Weight gain
Impaired memory
Muscle pain

According to a 2023 study of over 50000 adults in England, the proportion reporting severe distress increased by 46% since 2020. (2)

In this article, we will discuss how stress affects the body, physical symptoms of stress, how to manage stress naturally, and where to seek help.

What Is Stress?

Stress is your body’s natural reaction when it senses a challenge or threat. Positive stress can help you prepare for the challenge, keeping you alert and motivated. But when stress lingers without a real threat or challenge, it can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health.

The main three types of stress are:

Acute stress: You may experience acute stress when you face an immediate threat, challenge, or demand. It is common and lasts for a short period.
Episodic acute stress: Episodic acute stress is when you frequently have acute stress responses. It means your body does not get enough time to relax between the stress episodes.
Chronic stress: Chronic stress is a long-term health problem that can last for weeks or months. When you have chronic stress, your body is always on the alert mode even if a real threat no longer exists or was never there in the first place.

What Happens When You are Stressed? Understanding the Stress Response

Stress activates the body’s fight-or-flight response. When you are stressed, your body releases chemical messengers called stress hormones. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline, determine how your body responds to a real or perceived threat.

For example, the fast stress response involves the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones are responsible for the classical symptoms of a fight-or-flight response, such as:

Elevated heart rate and blood flow to the skeletal muscles
Increased glucose levels
Enhanced arousal
Improved alertness, focus, and attention

On the other hand, the slow response involves the release of cortisol and other similar hormones. Together, these hormones:

Redirects glucose towards the brain
Increased glucose uptake in your brain
Lower inflammation*

* It’s worth being clear that this anti inflammatory effect only holds in short bursts. Cortisol is genuinely good at damping down inflammation during a brief stressful moment, which is part of why the body evolved the response in the first place. The trouble starts when stress sticks around.

Over time cells can become less responsive to cortisol’s signal, so the immune system stops reining itself in properly, and low grade inflammation can build instead. So stress on its own isn’t something that protects against inflammation, it’s really only the short, occasional kind that behaves that way. The kind that lingers tends to do the opposite.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Stress in the Body?

The signs and symptoms of stress may be broadly classified into the following types.

Physical symptoms

Physical symptoms can vary from one person to another. Stress can affect your muscles, digestion, breathing, and energy levels.

You may have tensed muscles, digestive issues, or butterflies in your stomach. Besides, you may notice unintended weight loss or gain and low energy levels. Stress can also affect your memory, focus, and thinking process.

Some people may experience breathing problems, headaches, and excessive sweating when stressed.

Behavioural changes

Long-term stress can also affect your behaviour. For example, you may drink or smoke more often than usual. Likewise, you may find yourself consuming more caffeine or ultraprocessed foods.

Also Read: How Alcohol Affects Your Metabolism and What You Can Do

Stress can make people feel restless, avoid activities they once enjoyed, snap at people, or suppress their emotions. Other unhealthy habits can include skipping meals and exercising less.

Further Reading: How food processing starves our bodies of nutrients, leaving us feeling run down and tired

You may also feel anxious, overwhelmed, or burnt out. Some people report feeling guilty or low without any obvious reason. Negative thoughts that often accompany stress can include feeling like losing control, being not good enough, and watching yourself getting replaced by a newer you.

Some mental health experts describe the symptoms as the 3 A’s of stress: Alcohol (as a coping mechanism), activity (unnatural increase or decrease in the activity levels), and avoidance (avoiding difficult situations, friends, or problems).

What Can You Do to Manage Stress?

While you cannot completely eliminate stress from your life, you can do many things to manage stress and help prevent long-term complications. These include:

Breathing exercises for stress

You can try controlled breathing when you feel stressed. This simple technique helps you feel calm and reduce the symptoms of stress. Here’s how to do it.

Breathe out.
Inhale slowly to the count of four.
Hold your breath for the count of four.
Exhale for the count of four.
Repeat for a few minutes or until you feel calm.
Practice normal breathing if you feel dizzy.

Learn about the types and benefits of breathing exercises.

You can also practice other relaxing activities, such as listening to music, going for a walk, calling your loved ones, or reading a book.

Further Reading: The One Exercise Everyone Can Do to Stay Active, Super Easy! And So Powerful!

Foods to eat for better mood and lower stress

Certain nutrients can affect your mood and may help relieve some stress symptoms. These include:

Omega-3 fatty acids (mackerel, kippers, pilchards, trout, salmon, herring, sardines, fresh crab)
Folic acid (spinach, kale, cabbage, beans, legumes, eggs, nuts, seeds, yeast extract)
Magnesium (fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, starchy foods, meat, fish, dairy)
Tryptophan (yoghurt, milk, oats, bananas, dates, poultry, eggs, peanuts)
Vitamin B (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, yeast extracts)
Vitamin D (fish, eggs, liver)

There is no single diet proven to directly affect stress levels. However, a healthy diet, hydration, and limiting alcohol and caffeine are crucial for your overall mental health.

Also Read: Hydration for Health: Why Drinking Enough Water Daily Is More Important Than You Might Think

A healthy diet comprises whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and lean protein.

Further Reading: Why Leafy and Green Vegetables Should Be on Every Plate

Practical tips for reducing stress levels

Identify and change negative thought patterns.
Break down a complex task into smaller, manageable chunks.
Plan before a complex task so that the challenge does not overwhelm you.
Follow a daily schedule with consistent times for work, study, sleep, meal, and exercise.
Stay close to your loved ones and seek help when necessary.
Make a list of things to do to lower cognitive load.

When to See A Doctor for Stress?

Call your doctor if stress affects your daily life or you feel depressed about stress.

Where to Find Support for Stress in the UK?

Use the following resources to find support for stress.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common causes of stress in the UK?

The common causes of stress are work-related pressure, relationship difficulties, financial problems, and illness.

Can stress cause heart problems?

Stress can cause heart problems by increasing inflammation and levels of stress hormones. Besides, stress can indirectly increase the risk of heart disease by affecting your food choices and activity levels.

How to manage work-related stress?

Tips to manage work-related stress:

Have a break.
Focus on quality.
Make a list of things to do
Prioritise tasks
Delete, delegate, or defer a task.

Is stress a mental condition?

Stress is a natural response rather than a specific diagnosis. However, severe or chronic stress can trigger other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and other stress disorders.

Key Takeaways

Stress is inevitable and essential for survival. Long-term stress can be detrimental for health. Fortunately, there are ways to calm yourself. A healthy diet, sleep, physical activity, proper breathing, and reframing thoughts are critical for stress management.

Support Your Body’s Stress from Within

When lifestyle adjustments need an extra layer of support, targeted nutritional replenishment can help bridge the gap.

ViTALITI is our professional-grade, high-strength liquid multivitamin formulated to support busy, modern lives. Unlike standard tablets, this advanced liquid formula delivers 28 bioavailable nutrients that are easily absorbed by the body, including:

A Complete B-Vitamin Complex: Supports your nervous system function, reduces fatigue, and helps your body convert food into energy.

Front-line Antioxidants (Vitamins C & D + Zinc): Protects cells from oxidative stress and maintains robust immune defense when stress runs you down.

Botanical & Amino Acid Blend: Featuring Panax ginseng and a super greens blend to promote metabolic balance, vitality, and overall wellbeing.

References:

Mayo Clinic. Chronic stress puts your health at risk. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
Jackson, Sarah E et al. “Trends in Psychological Distress Among Adults in England, 2020-2022.” JAMA network open vol. 6,7 e2321959. 3 Jul. 2023, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.21959