Surprising Ways Stress Affects Your Health

Surprising Ways Stress Affects Your Health

The good news is that there is much you can do to reduce the impact of stress in your life.

What is stress?

Whether it's a short-term frustration like a traffic jam or a major life event like divorce or job loss, psycho
logical stress can affect our bodies.

Stress can be highly personal, with one person's unpleasant experience another's exhilarating adventure. And a little bit of stress is thought to be good for memory and motivation. However, about 70% of doctor visits and 80% of serious illnesses may be exacerbated or linked to stress.

Here are 25 ways that stress can affect the body. The good news is that there is much you can do—exercise, meditation, and more—to reduce the impact of stress in your life.