The physical effects of stress are not magic. Everything starts from secreting catecholamine from the brain. This hormone is responsible for secreting adrenaline and epinephrine that cause blood pressure and heart rate go up. This in turn cause us to breath faster and bring in more oxygen to the body. The blood is directed to the organs most necessary for survival - and that does not include mouth, causing the feeling of dry mouth and trouble with talking. Also, eating food becomes difficult, as the body digests food very slowly. If you force yourself to eat, you may expect stomach problems or nausea.
While stress effects can help you in a fistfight, in our present world they often do much more damage than good. While short-term stress is neutral for health, prolonged periods of being stressed pose a serious threat to one's body and mind. High blood pressure increase chances of a heart stroke. Stopped digestion means severe stomach problems including cramps. A lot of adrenaline in bloodstream causes difficulties in sleeping. If you add to that depressions (typical after high adrenaline secretion), feeling of loneliness (stress-affected brain tend to think only about itself) and anxiety (the brain looks out for trouble in order to respond to it), the final outcome is clear. Long-term stress is fully capable to ruin your entire life and kill you in the end.
Personal relationships and family life are also seriously endangered by long-term stress. As people living under stress tend to be easily irritated and get angry even with anyone and for any reason, it is extremely easy to make others avoid you or even resent you. It is doubly dangerous in case of a family, as family members are usually the first target of stressed person's anger. Fortunately, it is still possible to cope with such problems, however only if people around show enough hel p and understanding for stressed person's problems.
