It's estimated that physical symptoms relating to stress, anxiety or depression make up around 60% to 80% of all primary care visits. Complaints of back pain, digestive issues, skin irritations and headaches are often a result of chronic stress.

When we experience stress, our bodies release chemicals including cortisol and adrenaline that prepare us for danger. This is referred to the "fight or flight response", which is quite useful when avoiding getting hit by a car or being attacked, but not too helpful with our every day stressors. In fact, adrenaline speeds up our heart rate, increasing blood pressure, irritability and muscle tension.

One of the functions of cortisol is to reduce inflammation but after time, it suppresses our immune system, making us susceptible to infection. This leads to chronic inflammation, which is the cause of many symptoms and disorders from thyroid issues to autoimmune diseases.

So what can we do? Lifestyle changes including diet, exercise and mindfulness practices are important. Another way is to express our emotions. Many of us were taught to "power through" and "stay strong" during stressful times, but this can lead to repressing negative emotions. Releasing these emotions verbally or by writing helps decrease those chemicals, reversing their effects on the body. Many studies have shown that expressing negative emotions whether by speaking to friends, going to counseling, writing or even with art or music therapy, can decrease cortisol levels.

So, when medications, diet and exercise don't help to improve your physical symptoms, explore your thoughts and emotions...and talk.