Mental and Emotional Impact of Stress On Your Personality

Stress is all around us. From relationship issues to workplace problems, these can take a toll on the body and the mind.

More than just affecting your actions, temper, and manners, stress can have a mental and emotional blow on your personality. Here are the changes that could happen whenever you’re too stressed:

An Unpleasant Personality

Personality refers to your unique way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Because of stress, your once pleasant personality can become irksome.

You may find yourself constantly feeling angry, aggressive, and frustrated. And yes, don’t be surprised if your loved ones begin to brand you as irritable and hostile.

Since stress is the main reason why you’re being unpleasant, the first thing you need to do is address it.

Take a break from the things or activities that stress you out. Reach out to your family and friends. Explore nature.

It will also help to use stress management tools like squeeze toys. Take it out on them instead of the people around you! Make sure to keep one near you, so you can get immediate relief whenever you feel overwhelmed.

Withdrawal and Isolation

Stress can make you isolate yourself as well. Since you’re overwhelmed with all the pressure you feel, your natural tendency is to cope and soothe yourself. Unsurprisingly, one of the things you might do is withdraw yourself from additional stimuli一namely, the people around you.

To overcome this, you need to go straight to the source again. As mentioned above, you can deal with stress by taking a break, reaching out to loved ones, or enjoying nature. Rediscovering your hobbies or exploring new interests, such as suggested above, will work well too.

Impulsivity

Stress can make you more impulsive as well. That’s because it can prevent you from thinking rationally. As a result, you might find it harder to resist the call of gambling, drinking, or shopping whenever you’re stressed out.

To fight stress-induced impulsivity, you need to be mindful of all your actions. Take a breather and ask: Do I need to shop/gamble/drink alcohol? The answer is most probably no. This will help you think twice and abandon your impulsion (hopefully.)

Better yet, proactively avoid things that will make you act impulsively. For example, avoid bringing your credit card whenever you’re in the mall. Distance yourself from the casino and graciously say no to invitations to the bar.

Reduced Productivity

The impact of stress on your personality can affect your performance too. Stress can make you less productive as it leads to the following;

• Low energy levels. Stress brings an initial jolt of adrenaline; but can drain you in the long run. Because of your low energy levels, you won’t be able to do your job as efficiently.
• Loss of focus. With stress brewing in your mind, you’ll find it hard to focus on your tasks.
• Hampered creativity. Stress can impede creativity, affecting the productivity of ‘creative’ workers such as artists, writers, designers, etc.

Apart from managing your stress levels, you can boost your productivity by taking those well-needed breaks. Overworking yourself out will just stress you even more.

It will also help to create to-do lists so that you can prioritize your tasks (or delegate them as needed.) Rearranging your office and removing distractions can help you focus better as well.

Loss of Interest in ‘Enjoyable’ Things

Do you find it hard to enjoy the things you loved doing before? Unfortunately, it’s one of the ways stress affects your personality. It causes you to lose interest in your usual hobbies and activities. You no longer have the motivation to do these fun stuff, so you end up feeling bored, lonely, and dissatisfied with your life.

Regain your interest in things you loved doing before by linking up with a loved one who enjoys the same activities. They can motivate you to get in touch with the things you liked doing before.

Another option is to try another type of activity. Not only will it stimulate your brain to learn new skills, but it’ll be an excellent way to meet new friends as well.

Lack of Concern About Appearance

When you’re under a lot of stress, you couldn’t care less about how you look. Whereas you always looked prim whenever you go out, you don’t care if you appear disheveled now.

And it’s not just lack of regard that affects your appearance. Stress can have a negative effect on your body too. For one, it can lower your immunity, leading to breakouts and skin infections. It can also exacerbate certain skin conditions, such as rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis.

Stress can also lead to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that can lead to more wrinkles and lines on your face. Cortisol can make your nails brittle, too.

Stress can also make you lose hair, a condition called telogen effluvium. It can also prod you to eat more than usual, which could lead to weight gain in the long run.

Understandably, self-care is the key to this situation. It’s not just about dolling yourself up; it also includes doing everything to keep yourself healthy. That means improving your eating habits, hygiene, and other factors affecting your well-being. Self-care is also about looking after yourself so you don’t get too stressed.

Keeping the Stress Away

Stress will not only take a toll on your mental and emotional health; it can also drastically affect your personality. It can make you unpleasant, withdrawn, impulsive, and less productive.

On top of that, it can make you lose interest in your hobbies一as well as your physical appearance.

Of course, the best way to prevent these personality changes is to keep your stress at bay. Take a break when things overwhelm you. Reach out to your loved ones for support. Explore nature and take advantage of the many stress management tools available.