INTERACTIVE: The stress/body connection

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In collaboration with: Eli Bay, Stress Expert

TOPIC
Manage stress

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Do you think stress only affects your mood? Think again. Stress has a profound impact on just about every system in your body. Here's how and what to do about it.

When stress happens, it happens everywhere from your brain to the joints of your toes. "Virtually everything is affected," says stress expert Eli Bay, founder of The Relaxation Response Institute. "Every system, every organ, every cell is affected by stress. It's total body involvement. And it not only affects your body; it affects your mind and emotions as well."

To help you see the wide range of stress reactions and how they may impact your health, Eli provides his view about the major systems and organs affected. Click on a dot in the illustration below to take a stress tour of your body.

Connect the dots

“All of the systems in your body are connected,” says Eli. “Too much stress can have a domino effect and trigger many different symptoms. Your immune system, for example, can be weakened during stressful times leaving you more susceptible to common illness and conditions such as cold and flu and fatigue.”

To get control of the stress in your life, explore Manage Stress for more information and stress-busting tips. You can also search “stress” in Find Support for resources in your area.

List of links

For your convenience, here is a list of links provided in this interactive tool:

Brain

Lungs

Cardiovascular system

Muscles

Joints

Reproductive organs

Skin

Liver

Digestive system


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References
  • Eli Bay, The Relaxation Response Institute, website

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