Why Divorce Might Be Doing Surprising Damage To Your Body
Divorce is a challenging ordeal. It involves the division of assets, broken promises, and a torrent of intense emotions that threaten to overwhelm one's composure. It's a tough stage in life for anyone. Despite the term "conscious uncoupling" popularized by celebrities, which implies an orderly separation, the process can often be tumultuous.
Insider reports that stress is a prevalent symptom among individuals who have recently gone through a divorce. Healthline indicates that stress can adversely impact the body's immune system, elevate the risk of depression and heart attacks, and promote insomnia.
Mental health is truly impacted by divorce
Fortunately, the impact of divorce on one's overall health can be mitigated to some degree. Dr. Søren Sander, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, shared with Insider how conflict affects individuals undergoing a divorce. "Regardless of gender, increased levels of conflict during a divorce were associated with poorer mental health outcomes, even after considering other socio-demographic factors and aspects of the divorce," he notes. Therefore, reducing conflict is associated with better overall health.
While participants reported numerous physical health issues, the study from Frontiers in Psychology highlighted that the most significant disparity between them and the average Danish population was in mental health. Many enter marriage with the expectation of lifelong partnership, and according to Psychreg, when a marriage fails to meet these expectations, partners may endure intense emotions that impact their mental health, such as severe anxiety, depression, anger, and despair. Therefore, in the event of a "conscious uncoupling" or a difficult separation, it's crucial to prioritize your health.
Potential Effects on Your Body When You Cheat on Someone
Would you still consider cheating on your partner if you knew there would be physical consequences? Psychologist Deborah E. Dyer informs Bustle that cheating can cause notable stress-related issues, both mentally and physically. Infidelity involves stress-inducing behaviors such as lying, sneaking around, covering up, and dragging innocent loved ones into the situation. As per Healthline, when your body experiences prolonged stress, it becomes overburdened, disrupting numerous bodily functions, weakening the immune system, and potentially leading to more serious illnesses.
Therapist Renelle E. Nelson states that the stress of infidelity can lead to gastrointestinal problems, such as a sour stomach, ulcers, or even diarrhoea, and may also result in a loss of appetite, according to Dr Ramani Durvasula. Additionally, Nelson notes that stress or guilt can impact your skin, triggering hives or acne outbreaks. Alarmingly, various studies have indicated that men who cheat may have a higher risk of experiencing heart attacks.
How cheating affects your brain
Brain fog, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and even panic attacks can result from the stress of keeping a secret like infidelity. Experts at VerywellMind concur, noting that chronic stress can damage your memory and heighten the risk of mental illness. Additionally, relationship counselor Peter Siddington informs Patient that individuals who engage in infidelity might already suffer from mental disorders such as depression or loneliness, exacerbating the risk of stress-related mental health issues.
Navigating relationships can be challenging even in the best circumstances, given the complex nature of love. At times, relationships may become dysfunctional and toxic, with the lasting impacts not always immediately apparent. Such relationships are characterized by a lack of support or respect, frequent conflict, and often include one partner attempting to undermine the other.
Psychology Today states that toxicity in relationships can manifest in various ways, including physical abuse, name-calling, dishonesty, gossip, and other forms of abusive behavior. Toxic relationships may occur in personal contexts with family members, friends, or romantic partners, or in professional settings with colleagues or supervisors.
Regardless of the relationship's nature, it can be harmful to both long-term emotional and physical health. Continue reading to learn how a toxic relationship can damage your body and the steps you can take to heal after exiting such a relationship.
A toxic relationship can lead to high blood pressure
Research indicates that stressful relationships may lead to elevated blood pressure and potentially result in long-term hypertension. Therefore, if you have ever held your spouse accountable for raising your blood pressure, a study published in 2016 could lend support to your assertion.
In the study, University of Michigan researchers examined the impact of marital stress on spouses over time. They measured blood pressure to determine if a partner's blood pressure rose when they experienced stress or observed their spouse under stress. The study also aimed to identify any variances in responses between husbands and wives.
The study revealed that male participants were more severely impacted by their partners' stress. It was observed that increases in blood pressure were higher and occurred more frequently in relation to the level of negativity in the relationship. Notably, significant rises in blood pressure were most pronounced during interactions between the couples.
A toxic relationship can lead to chronic stress
A healthy relationship ought to assist in managing stress, providing a sense of safety and partnership. Conversely, an unhealthy relationship rife with chronic stress can deteriorate both mental and physical well-being. Chronic stress has the potential to exacerbate virtually all health problems, encompassing immune function, thyroid conditions, and mood disorders.
It's crucial to address chronic stress and its sources, such as toxic relationships, promptly. The longer one endures chronic stressors, the more challenging it becomes to manage the ensuing mental and physical health issues.
Stress from toxic relationships can lead to significant inflammation throughout the body.
Tensions and conflicts in a toxic relationship can leave the body in a constant state of "fight or flight." This response is meant to be a short-term adaptive one, not something you deal with on a daily basis. When the body is constantly in this mode, it does not send signals for the body to function correctly. Chronic episodes of "fight or flight" eventually lead to soaring inflammation levels, which can cause severe health problems over time, according to Harvard Health.
A 2014 review published in Psychological Bulletin indicated that stress markedly affects the immune system and contributes to inflammation. In their analysis, the authors examined studies on life and social stressors, including conflict, threat, isolation, and rejection. Their findings revealed that such stressors result in increased levels of proinflammatory protein markers.
The review in Psychological Bulletin also considered a study where couples participated in social support and hostile marital interactions. Those with higher hostility levels showed greater increases in inflammation. However, inflammation was less pronounced during the social support interactions.
Being in a toxic relationship may heighten the risk of developing depression.
Studies indicate that the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) is highest following interpersonal loss and social rejection. A significant study featured in a Psychological Bulletin review examined 7,300 adults living in the community who encountered life events commonly triggering depression. Notably, events associated with prolonged threats such as humiliation, danger, loss, and entrapment—often found in toxic relationships—were prominent. The researchers determined that these types of events are crucial risk factors for MDD, with an increased number of stressors correlating to a higher risk of developing the disorder.
A toxic relationship may reduce your lifespan.
Meaningful relationships contribute to your health and happiness. They also have an impact on longevity; they enhance your likelihood of living longer by buffering against factors that typically lead to premature aging, such as stress and poor diet.
After analyzing twenty years of research, the researchers found causal connections between social relationships and mortality. These connections were related to social integration, social strain, and social support. The strongest links were observed in adolescence and middle age and continued into old age. Individuals experiencing social stress were more susceptible to stress-related diseases and inflammation as they got older. The researchers concluded that these findings provide strong evidence supporting interventions to improve life expectancy.
A toxic relationship may lead to weight gain.
It seems that weight gain and relationship problems often go hand in hand. Healthy relationships can promote wellbeing and contentment, which in turn can make it easier to lose weight and keep it off. On the other hand, being in a toxic and conflict-ridden relationship can make it difficult to focus on anything other than dealing with those problems.
A toxic relationship can affect your heart health
It appears that stress related to interpersonal relationships is a common aspect of life. However, in intimate relationships that are subject to significant and sustained stress, the heart may be adversely affected. Indeed, numerous studies have indicated that emotional stress can elevate blood pressure, as reported in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. Over time, such physical responses may result in damage to the heart.
Researchers suggest that better heart health and outcomes may be linked to the positive effects of happy relationships. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University in Utah, explained to the American Heart Association how a supportive partner might encourage healthy behaviors such as regular exercise and timely medical check-ups.
A toxic relationship may lead you to seek conflict in other relationships
Toxic relationships, no matter what form they take, all have one thing in common: they can lead you to sacrifice both current and future relationships. This happens because people learn from experience, and a toxic relationship can become so familiar that you may seek out similar ones in the future, as explained by Psychology Today. Being in a toxic relationship for a long time can make it difficult for you to recognize healthy behavior. You might even start to see negativity in everything — from the actions of loved ones who genuinely care about you to simple things like the weather.
Toxic relationships can severely damage your self-esteem and confidence
Although you might hope otherwise, your self-esteem and confidence can be influenced by your partner in an intimate relationship. Relationships indeed affect our emotional well-being and, most significantly, our self-perception.
In a toxic relationship, the desire for love and acceptance is manipulated. This can have serious consequences for your self-esteem and confidence. On the other hand, it's more beneficial to spend time with people who appreciate your company, encourage your talents, and accept your individuality in ways that foster healthy self-esteem and confidence in your abilities.
A toxic relationship can be emotionally draining
Being in a toxic relationship can emotionally exhaust you, significantly affecting your well-being. Dr. Tricia Wolanin, a clinical psychologist, explained to Insider that such a situation arises when you become preoccupied with resolving your partner's issues at the expense of your own health.
Beyond the emotional toll of a toxic relationship, constant conflict with your partner can be just as exhausting. A relationship should uplift you; if you find yourself perpetually weighed down by negativity, it may be time to consider some adjustments. Determine what you need to eliminate the toxicity and reclaim control over your life.
This psychological process can cause you to ignore red flags in a toxic relationship
Toxic relationships can be particularly harmful because they can make you believe that being mistreated is normal. When someone who claims to love you treats you poorly, it distorts your idea of what a healthy relationship should be. Even though toxic relationships often have clear warning signs, we tend to overlook them due to a psychological process known as idealization. According to Psychology Today, idealization refers to unconscious or semi-conscious desires that develop under various influences—cultural, biological, and others—that shape our perception of the perfect partner.
Individuals in toxic relationships may experience body aches, recurrent colds, breathing difficulties, and anxiety attacks. These symptoms can arise because a toxic relationship may lead to sleepless nights, poor dietary and lifestyle choices, and weakened immune system defenses.
The Cleveland Clinic states that chronic stress can erode the body's defenses, resulting in numerous physical symptoms. These may encompass dizziness, a sensation of being disconnected, various aches, headaches, muscle tension, sleep disturbances, palpitations, profound fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort, and tremors.
A toxic relationship may exacerbate the symptoms of a chronic illness.
A study conducted by the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging has confirmed that toxic relationships may worsen chronic illnesses. The press release indicates that researchers found arguments with a partner can amplify symptoms of physical conditions like arthritis and type 2 diabetes, with participants reporting increased pain and other symptoms during conflicts with their partners.
Above all, ensure you're surrounded by individuals who genuinely care about your welfare. Catch up with a friend over coffee, talk to a sibling when you need to let off steam, or stay at your parents' place as you get used to solitude once more. Keep in mind: You're not in this by yourself.