Stress most commonly manifests in disease of the heart. This link is well known to your physician. High blood pressure and a high standing pulse rate are indicative of stress. The sheer tension of stress can damage arteries, while reducing healthy blood and oxygen flow. Your body attempts to heal the damaged arteries, forming scars and thickened artery walls. All of these factors can eventually lead to heart attack.

Another of the negative effects of stress on the body is marked depletion of immune system function, which results in frequent colds and flus. More serious effects of stress on the body include exacerbated arthritis, irritable bowel, ulcers and headaches. Studies conducted as early as the 1950's showed a link between cancer and stress.

There are medications that can help us deal with stress, but none of these really provide a solution. The only way to cope with the effects of stress on the body is to get some help. Help can come in the form of therapy, meditation, counseling, or massages. Basically, anything that relaxes you and that you do regularly is an effective antidote to stress. The effects of stress on the body, however, may ultimately require you to change your lifestyle. You may have to work less, spend more time doing things that you enjoy, and generally learn to relax. This is not such a bad thing! In the process of fighting the effects of stress on the mind and body, you will also learn to enjoy your life. What else is life for, after all? With all of these dire consequences of the effects of stress on the body, we'd all do well to focus on positive changes in diet and lifestyle to eliminate undue stress. Listening to music, exercise and a more laid back perspective are keys to good health.

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