Stress is felt everywhere in your body; it’s an invisible monster that can really impact your life. Stress can make you do things outside your standard reasoning and make you sad or depressed. Most importantly, stress can significantly impact your health and inadvertently cost you your life.  Â
I know about stress all too well. I also know the physical impacts of stress all too well. I have been asked several times, “What could you possibly be stressing about at your age?” Well, stress does not have an age requirement. It is something that anyone can go through at any time. Not to mention that we will experience different stress levels throughout our lives.  Â
Where Our Stress Comes From
I grew up in a neighborhood with other kids who experienced similar trauma based on our environment. Many of us have seen our family members pass from diseases that they could not control. Many of us also have had classmates who were shot and killed every school year. So those are part of our childhood traumas, and as we become adults, we feel those things no longer impact us until they do.  Â
With my own traumas and stressors from my childhood, I buried some of those things deep down inside. It was not until after I started having children that I would feel triggered by specific events, not even realizing the connections until much later.  Â
My Personal Experience
One event I talk about most is the stress I experienced after giving birth to my last child. I talk a lot about this because I am still trying to talk and get through it. It is not a pain that I would ever wish on anyone. It was the scariest time of my life because I had never experienced postpartum anxiety and depression before to this degree.  Â
There were many occasions when I would be pale—constantly thinking about dying or something awful happening to my family. I could not bathe myself. I could not talk, feed my baby, cook family meals, or care for others. And all of this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had gone to the hospital at least eight times and was only hospitalized once. My blood pressure was out of control, and my body constantly hurt.  Â
The stress of it all was literally killing me without a definitive answer from any of the medical tests performed. Honestly, I am only giving you all the minor details of my experience because this is still very difficult to discuss. Although I love my work here at MyCHN, I was working a job that I loved and had gained wonderful friendships. Due to the stress and hospital visits, I had to quit my job because I no longer had the mental capacity to help any of the people I was providing services to. I was now the person who was in desperate need of help. I needed mental health services as well as financial services now that I no longer had my job.  Â
The Importance of Recognizing & Getting Help
I am sharing this information because I want everyone who feels like the walls are caving in on them to get the help they need as soon as possible. Stress is nothing to play around with. It can develop into many things and may eventually hurt you and those you love.  Â
MyCHN has empathetic, experienced therapists who can help you navigate your stress. In addition, they can provide you with any prescriptions necessary to help you cope. This brings me to the point of reminding everyone that there is NOTHING wrong with getting extra help with your mental health from medication. It is essential to do what you need to do to ensure that you manage your stress. If not, it may trickle down to affecting your physical and emotional health, increasing stress. So, prioritize your physical and mental health from every angle and never be afraid to ask for help.
Tyrasia Starghill, MyCHN SDOH Manager
Tyrasia Starghill is the MyCHN Social Determinants of Health Program Manager. Her mission and goals align with MyCHN to help close health care equity gaps. Tyrasia is a two time graduate of Texas Southern University with a background in Social Work and Sociology. She has co-authored on African American female sisterhood research with the Sankofa Research Institute and has volunteered across a multitude of initiatives. Her past work includes case management, research, partnership engagement, and healthcare advocacy. Tyrasia is a wife, mother of 4, and puts family first in all that she does. Her hobbies include unlimited outdoor activities, shopping, watching crime shows, cooking, and spending quality with people she loves.
